Quandaries
and Queries
Why is ounces abbreviated oz?
Hi,
Here is waht I found in the Oxford English Dictionary (It orginated with the Italian words onza (singular) and onze (plural).
[a. It.
or
, 15th c. abbreviation of onza, onze.]
An abbreviation used for 'ounce', 'ounces',
esp. after a number, as in 3 lb. 8 oz.
(For Italian MS. forms of the abbreviation, see Cappelli Dizionario di Abbreviature,
Milano, 1899. In MS. the z had the lengthened form, its tail being usually
carried in a circle under, round, and over the o, so as to form the line of
contraction over the word. Cf. the analogous (13-15th c.) ways of writing lb.
for libra, libre pound, pounds.)
Chris