the.com/pound
world's oldest currency still standing, named after a literal weight of silver.
means A unit of currency used in Britain and several other nations, originally equal to a pound weight of silver; also the verb for striking something hard and repeatedly, and an enclosure for stray animals.
from The money sense comes from Latin 'libra pondo' — 'a pound by weight' — where 'pondo' means 'by weight,' giving us both the word 'pound' and the abbreviation 'lb.' Old English took it as 'pund.' The currency was literally a pound of silver, which is why the symbol £ is a stylized 'L' for 'libra.' The verb 'to pound' (to beat) traces to a separate Old English root, 'punian,' while the animal 'pound' (an enclosure) comes from Old English 'pundfald,' possibly related to the idea of penning or shutting in — three words that drifted into the same spelling from different homes.
- origin
- Once equaled one pound of sterling silver
- age
- In use over 1,200 years
- the symbol
- £ comes from Latin libra, meaning balance
- dog pounds
- Same word, from enclosing strayed animals
- verb side
- To pound means to strike relentlessly
pound sterling — uk currency, oldest continuously used currency, established 1694
pound cake — dessert made with one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, flour
animal pound — pound in los angeles impounds 20,000+ animals annually