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pound1

Pronunciation: /paʊnd/
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Definition of pound

noun

  • 1 (abbreviation: lb) a unit of weight equal to 16 oz. avoirdupois (0.4536 kg), or 12 oz. troy (0.3732 kg).
  • 2 (also pound sterling) (plural pounds sterling) the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence.
  • another term for punt4.
  • the basic monetary unit of several Middle Eastern countries, equal to 100 piastres.
  • the former basic monetary unit of Cyprus, equal to 100 cents.
  • the basic monetary unit of Sudan.

Phrases

a pound to a penny

British informal
used to emphasize one’s certainty about something:simply think of your budget and a pound to a penny we’ll have the car to suit it

one's pound of flesh

something one is strictly or legally entitled to, but which it is ruthless or inhuman to demand.
[with allusion to Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice]

Origin:

Old English pund, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch pond and German Pfund, from Latin (libra) pondo, denoting a Roman ‘pound weight’ of 12 ounces

pound in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of pound in the US English dictionary

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