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When avoirdupois first appeared in English in the 15th century, it referred to “goods sold by weight,” which is also the meaning of its Middle English predecessor, avoir de pois. That term comes from an Anglo-French phrase meaning “goods of weight” or “property.” 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 an ultra-specific 27.344 grains. (Some other weight systems are apothecaries’ weight, used to measure pharmaceutical items, and troy weight, used for precious metals.) It was William Shakespeare, in his play Henry IV, Part 2, who first used avoirdupois to mean “heaviness”: “the weight of a hair will turn the scales between their avoirdupois.”
Examples of avoirdupois in a Sentence
Barry Winfield, Car and Driver, 21 May 2020
There are a few mildly funny moments, such as Garfield suddenly finding out he’s been wearing a collar and tag the whole time, hidden under his furry avoirdupois.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
McCormick was a member of the Jolly Fat Men’s Club, a fraternal group that celebrated avoirdupois.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 23 Sep. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Avoirdupois.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avoirdupois. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
avoirdupois
adjective
