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Post by Chesapeake on Mar 16, 2019 12:07:58 GMT -5
Most of our abbreviations for units of measurement are pretty straightforward. They are made up of letters from the words they stand for. So how do we get lb for “pound?"
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.” We got the word “pound” in English from the pondo part of the libra pondo but our abbreviation comes from the libra. The libra is also why the symbol for the British pound is £—an L with a line through it. The Italian lira also used that symbol (with two lines through it), the word “lira” itself being a shortened version of libra.
- theweek.com
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Post by Cornflake on Mar 16, 2019 14:02:57 GMT -5
Interesting.
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Post by Chesapeake on Mar 16, 2019 14:19:03 GMT -5
I thought the lawyers might be especially interested because of the reference to scales.
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Post by Cornflake on Mar 16, 2019 15:05:32 GMT -5
You mean we're serpents? Go lb. sand.  |
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Post by jdd2 on Mar 16, 2019 19:07:32 GMT -5
Is a period (an inherent) part of an abbreviation, or not? |
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Post by Village Idiot on Mar 16, 2019 20:49:24 GMT -5
I'd say it makes as much sense as the rest of the English system of measurement. Three barley corns lined up is an inch, and an acre is how much land a pair of oxen can plow in a day. But do I want to switch to the metric system? No way!
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Post by Chesapeake on Mar 16, 2019 20:54:47 GMT -5
You mean we're serpents? Go lb. sand. I had something more pescadorian in mind. You're always going on fishing expeditions. |
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Post by Marshall on Mar 16, 2019 21:14:40 GMT -5
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Post by jdd2 on Mar 17, 2019 3:28:14 GMT -5
#
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2019 7:08:03 GMT -5
If you enjoy this discussion, I'd recommend The History Of English podcast.
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Post by dradtke on Mar 17, 2019 8:56:56 GMT -5
So now that you've explained where the L comes from, and the line through it to indicate money, how does the S with a line through it indicate a dollar?
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Post by Chesapeake on Mar 17, 2019 14:02:43 GMT -5
So now that you've explained where the L comes from, and the line through it to indicate money, how does the S with a line through it indicate a dollar? The panel is stumped. |
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Post by millring on Mar 17, 2019 14:13:06 GMT -5
Libraries lend books by the lb.
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Post by Marshall on Mar 17, 2019 15:48:47 GMT -5
And dish out late fees by the $$
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Post by jdd2 on Mar 17, 2019 16:42:12 GMT -5
So now that you've explained where the L comes from, and the line through it to indicate money, how does the S with a line through it indicate a dollar? The panel is stumped. If people weren't so friggin' helpless lazy-assed they'd go to wikipedia and put $ in the search box. |
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Post by Chesapeake on Mar 17, 2019 18:06:18 GMT -5
If people weren't so friggin' helpless lazy-assed they'd go to wikipedia and put $ in the search box. Guilty on all counts. |
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Post by brucemacneill on Mar 17, 2019 18:11:03 GMT -5
If people weren't so friggin' helpless lazy-assed they'd go to wikipedia and put $ in the search box. Did that but didn't find anything but theories. No one seems to know fer shuer where the $ symbol originated. Apparently it's left over from the Spanish dollar. |
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Post by dradtke on Mar 17, 2019 18:36:44 GMT -5
If people weren't so friggin' helpless lazy-assed they'd go to wikipedia and put $ in the search box. Hey. I don't come here to be told to go look stuff up myself. I come here to be spoon-fed what I want to know when I feel like it. This is the font of knowledge, is it not? |
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Post by coachdoc on Mar 17, 2019 19:09:23 GMT -5
Pillars of Hercules? That's a stretch.
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