page_title: Pound (mass)
section_title: Roman libra
hierarchical_section_title: Pound (mass) / Historic use / Roman libra
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Alte Maßeinheiten / Gewichtmaße
context_page_description: The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass
  used in the imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement. Various definitions have been used; the most common today is the international avoirdupois pound, which is legally defined as exactly 0.45359237 kilograms, and which is divided into 16 avoirdupois ounces. The international standard symbol for the avoirdupois pound is lb; an alternative symbol is lbₘ, #, and ℔ or ″̶.
  The unit is descended from the Roman libra. The English word pound is cognate with, among others, German Pfund, Dutch pond, and Swedish pund. All ultimately derive from a borrowing into Proto-Germanic of the Latin expression lībra pondō, in which the word pondō is the ablative case of the Latin noun pondus.
  Usage of the unqualified term pound reflects the historical conflation of mass and weight. This accounts for the modern distinguishing terms pound-mass and pound-force.
context_section_description: The libra (Latin for "scales / balance") is an ancient Roman unit of mass that was equivalent to approximately 328.9 grams. It was divided into 12 unciae (singular: uncia), or ounces. The libra is the origin of the abbreviation for pound, "lb".
caption: Various historic pounds from a German textbook dated 1848
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