avoirdupois

/,ævədə'pɔiz/

Thân thiện

A person steps onto a bathroom scale to check their avoirdupois.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A system of weights: A system of weights based on a pound of 16 ounces, commonly used in English-speaking countries for measuring goods except precious metals, gems, and drugs.
   • Excess bodily weight; heaviness: (Informal) A term for bodily weight, often implying heaviness or fatness.

Examples

• Noun (System of weights):

  • Flour and sugar are typically sold using avoirdupois weight.
  • The avoirdupois pound is legally defined as exactly 0.45359237 kilograms.

• Noun (Bodily weight):

  • He carried a considerable amount of avoirdupois, which slowed him down.
  • The comedian joked about his own avoirdupois.

Advanced Usage

• "Avoirdupois ounce": A unit in this system, equal to 1/16 of an avoirdupois pound.

  • A standard can of soda weighs about 12 avoirdupois ounces.

• "To carry avoirdupois": An informal phrase meaning to be heavy or overweight.

  • After the holidays, he was carrying a bit more avoirdupois.

Variants and Related Words

• Avoirdupois weight (n): The full term for the system of weights.
  • Avoirdupois weight is used for most everyday measurements.

Synonyms

• Weight: Mass or heaviness.
• Heft: (Informal) Weight or bulk.
• Poundage: Weight expressed in pounds.
• Adiposity: (Formal) The state of being fat; obesity.

Related Phrases

• Dead weight: The unrelieved or static weight of an object.
• Excess baggage: (Informal, figurative) Unwanted extra weight or burdens.

Related Idioms

• To be worth one's weight in gold: To be extremely valuable.
  • A reliable assistant is worth their weight in gold. (This idiom uses the concept of weight but is not specific to avoirdupois.)

Học thuật

Noun

1. excess bodily weight
   • she disliked fatness in herself as well as in others
2. a system of weights based on the 16-ounce pound (or 7,000 grains)

Từ đồng nghĩa

• fatness
• fat
• blubber
• avoirdupois weight