Avoirdupois Definition
The official system of weights used in USA between 1866 and 1959.
Origin of Avoirdupois
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Middle English avoir de pois commodities sold by weight alteration of Old French aveir de peis goods of weight aveir, avoir to have (from Latin habēre able) de of (from Latin dē from de–) peis, pois weight (from Vulgar Latin pēsum) (from Latin pēnsum) (past participle of pendere to hang (s)pen- in Indo-European roots)
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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Old French avoir + du + pois (“good of weight”), compare Modern French poids (“weight”)
From Wiktionary
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