avoirdupois

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The Word of the Day for February 7 is: 

avoirdupois   \av-er-duh-POYZ\   noun
     1 : the series of units of weight based on the pound of 16 ounces and the 
ounce of 16 drams 
    *2 : weight, heaviness; especially : personal weight 

Example sentence: 
     Michael's ample avoirdupois can be blamed on his fondness for rich sauces 
and fattening cheeses.

Did you know?
     When "avoirdupois" first appeared in English in the 15th century, it 
carried a meaning of "goods sold by weight," which is also the meaning of its 
Middle English predecessor, "avoir de pois." That term derives from an 
Anglo-French phrase meaning "goods of weight." Today, "avoirdupois" most 
commonly refers to the system of weight measurement used for general 
merchandise, in which the pound is equal to 16 ounces, the ounce 16 drams, and 
the dram 27.344 grains. (Some other weight systems are apothecaries' weight, 
used to measure pharmaceutical items, and troy weight, used for precious 
metals.) It was Shakespeare, in his play _Henry IV_ (1597), who first used 
"avoirdupois" to mean "heaviness."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.





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