Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In Roman antiquity, a twelfth part, as of the Roman as; an ounce; an inch; etc.
  • noun A copper coin of the ancient Roman republic, the twelfth part of the as. See as, 3.
  • noun A former name for the numerical coefficient of any term of the binomial theorem.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Rom. Antiq.) A twelfth part, as of the Roman as; an ounce.
  • noun (Alg.), obsolete A numerical coefficient in any particular case of the binomial theorem.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun classical studies A twelfth part, an ounce, or an inch.
  • noun pharmacy An ounce.
  • noun A bronze coin minted during the Roman Republic, valued at one-twelfth of an as.
  • noun algebra A numerical coefficient in a case of the binomial theorem.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

1685–95, from Latin uncia. Compare inch, ounce, Latin ūnus ("one").

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Examples

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  • The Roman ounce, equal to about 27.2875 grams of 0.9625 ounce avoirdupois. The word uncia means a one-twelfth part (there were 12 ounces in a Roman pound). The words "ounce" and "inch" are derived from it.

    November 7, 2007