different between inch vs ounce

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?nt?/
• Rhymes: -?nt?

Etymology 1

From Middle English ynche, enche, from Old English ynce, borrowed from Latin uncia (“twelfth part”). Doublet of ounce.

Noun

inch (plural inches)

1. A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
2. (meteorology) The amount of water which would cover a surface to the depth of an inch, used as a measurement of rainfall.
3. The amount of an alcoholic beverage which would fill a glass or bottle to the depth of an inch.
4. (figuratively) A very short distance.

   "Don't move an inch!"

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Japanese: ??? (inchi)
• ? Korean: ?? (inchi)

Translations

Verb

inch (third-person singular simple present inches, present participle inching, simple past and past participle inched)

1. (intransitive, followed by a preposition) To advance very slowly, or by a small amount (in a particular direction).

   Fearful of falling, he inched along the window ledge.

   • 1957, J. D. Salinger, "Zooey", in, 1961, Franny and Zooey:

     The window blind had been lowered — Zooey had done all his bathtub reading by the light from the three-bulb overhead fixture—but a fraction of morning light inched under the blind and onto the title page of the manuscript.
2. To drive by inches, or small degrees.
   • 1692, John Dryden, Cleomenes, the Spartan Hero, a Tragedy

     He gets too far into the soldier's grace / And inches out my master.

3. To deal out by inches; to give sparingly.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• thou
• mil

Etymology 2

From Scottish Gaelic innis

Noun

inch (plural inches)

1. (Scotland) A small island

Usage notes

• Found especially in the names of small Scottish islands, e.g. Inchcolm, Inchkeith.

Anagrams

• Ch'in, Chin, chin, ichn-

Middle English

Noun

inch

1. Alternative form of ynche

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a?ns/
• Rhymes: -a?ns

Etymology 1

From Middle English ounce, unce, from Middle French once, from Latin uncia (“twelfth part”), from ?nus (“one”). Doublet of inch.

Noun

ounce (plural ounces) abbreviation oz. or ?

1. An avoirdupois ounce, weighing ¹?₁₆ of an avoirdupois pound, or 28.3495 grams.
2. A troy ounce, weighing ¹?₁₂ of a troy pound, or 480 grains, or 31.1035 grams.
3. A US fluid ounce, with a volume of ¹?₁₆ of a US pint, 1.8047 cubic inches or 29.5735 millilitres.
4. A British imperial fluid ounce, with a volume of ¹?₂₀ of an imperial pint, 1.7339 cubic inches or 28.4131 millilitres.
5. A little bit.

Synonyms

• (avoirdupois ounce): symbol: ? (pharmacy)
• (small amount): see also Thesaurus:modicum

Descendants

• ? Tokelauan: aunehe

Related terms

• inch

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle French once, from Old French lonce (“lynx”), by false division (the l was thought to be the article), from Italian lonza, ultimately from Ancient Greek ???? (lúnx, “lynx”). Doublet of onza.

Noun

ounce (plural ounces)

1. (now archaic) A large wild feline, such as a lynx or cougar. [from 14th c.]
   • 1634, William Wood, New Englands Prospect:

     The Ounce or the wilde Cat, is as big as a mungrell dog, this creature is by nature feirce, and more dangerous to bee met withall than any other creature, not fearing eyther dogge or man […].

   • 1801, Robert Southey, Thalaba the Destroyer:

     Halloa! another prey,
     The nimble Antelope!
     The ounce is freed; one spring,
     And his talons are sheath’d in her shoulders,
     And his teeth are red in her gore.

2. Now specifically, the snow leopard, Uncia uncia. [from 18th c.]

References

• snow leopard on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Uncia uncia on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Uncia uncia on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Anagrams

• Cuneo, cuneo-, on cue

Middle English

Alternative forms

• unce, ownce, ounse, nounce, nowns

Etymology

From Middle French once, from Old French once, unce, from Latin uncia. Doublet of ynche.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?u?ns(?)/, /?uns(?)/

Noun

ounce (plural ounces or ounce)

1. An ounce (unit with much variation, but generally equivalent to 1/12 or 1/16 of a pound)
2. (rare) A shekel (ancient measure of weight)
3. (rare) A minuscule or insignificant amount or quantity.

4. (rare) An eight-minute unit for measuring time.
5. (rare) A three-inch unit for measuring length.

Descendants

• English: ounce, unce
• Scots: ounce

References

• “?unce, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-02-25.