To find out it requires a trip through English language history. The word "pound" comes from ancient Roman when the unit of measure was libra pondo , which meant "a pound by weight.
However, the abbreviation "lb" is derived from the libra part of the word. The former Italian currency the "lira" also derives from libra. If all this talk of libra is setting off a light bulb in your head, that's because it's also the name of seventh sign of the zodiac, which is typically symbolized by scales. Lb is an abbreviation of the Latin word libra. The primary meaning of libra was balance or scales as in the astrological sign , but it also stood for the ancient Roman unit of measure libra pondo , meaning "a pound by weight.
The Italian lira also used that symbol with two lines through it , the word "lira" itself being a shortened version of libra. The word came into English from Anglo-Norman French, where it was unce or ounce , but the abbreviation was borrowed from Medieval Italian, where the word was onza.
These days the Italian word is oncia , and the area once covered by the Roman Empire has long since switched to the metric system. Skip to header Skip to main content Skip to footer Feature. The former Italian currency the "lira" also derives from libra.
Related: Our Guide to Baking Substitutions. If all this talk of libra is setting off a light bulb in your head, that's because it's also the name of seventh sign of the zodiac, which is typically symbolized by scales. That's because the sign is associated with balance, and is related to weights and measurements.
As for the word ounce, according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica , it originates from the Latin word uncia , which was the name for both a Roman unit of weight and length. According to The Week , uncia was borrowed by the Anglo-Norman French as "ounce" and then lent to their neighbors in England. The abbreviation, though, came from Medieval Italian, who had taken the Latin word uncia and turned it into onza , introducing the "z" into the word.
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