Pound
WordNet
noun
(1) The act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows)
"The sudden hammer of fists caught him off guard"
"The pounding of feet on the hallway"
(2) A public enclosure for stray or unlicensed dogs
"Unlicensed dogs will be taken to the pound"
(3) United States writer who lived in Europe; strongly influenced the development of modern literature (1885-1972)
(4) A nontechnical unit of force equal to the mass of 1 pound with an acceleration of free fall equal to 32 feet/sec/sec
(5) The basic unit of money in Great Britain; equal to 100 pence
(6) The basic unit of money in Cyprus; equal to 100 cents
(7) The basic unit of money in Egypt; equal to 100 piasters
(8) Formerly the basic unit of money in Ireland; equal to 100 pence
(9) The basic unit of money in Lebanon; equal to 100 piasters
(10) The basic unit of money in the Sudan; equal to 100 piasters
(11) The basic unit of money in Syria; equal to 100 piasters
(12) 16 ounces
"He got a hernia when he tried to lift 100 pounds"
verb
(13) Break down and crush by beating, as with a pestle
"Pound the roots with a heavy flat stone"
(14) Place or shut up in a pound
"Pound the cows so they don't stray"
(15) Shut up or confine in any enclosure or within any bounds or limits
"The prisoners are safely pounded"
(16) Hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument
"The salesman pounded the door knocker"
"A bible-thumping Southern Baptist"
(17) Partition off into compartments
"The locks pound the water of the canal"
(18) Strike or drive against with a heavy impact
"Ram the gate with a sledgehammer"
"Pound on the door"
(19) Move rhythmically
"Her heart was beating fast"
(20) Move heavily or clumsily
"The heavy man lumbered across the room"
WiktionaryText
Etymology 1
From , from , an early borrowing from , an ablative form of , especially of a . Cognate with Dutch , German , Swedish .
Noun
- Short for pound-force, a unit of force/weight.
- A unit of mass equal to 16 avoirdupois ounces (= 453.592 37 g)
- A unit of mass equal to 12 troy ounces (≈ 373.242 g).
- The symbol # (octothorpe, hash)
- The unit of currency of used in the United Kingdom and its dependencies.
- Any of various units of currency used in Cyprus; Egypt; Lebanon; and formerly in the Republic of Ireland and Israel.
Usage notes
- Internationally, the "pound" has most commonly referred to the UK pound. The other currencies were usually distinguished in some way, eg, the "Irish pound" or the "punt".
- In the vicinity of each other country calling its currency the pound among English speakers the local currency would be the "pound", with all others distinguished, eg, the "English pound", "British pound", or "UK pound".
Synonyms
lb lb t £, pound sterling, sterling punt (the former Irish currency) hash (UK), sharpEtymology 2
From , from .
Noun
- A place for the detention of stray or wandering animals.
- A place for the detention of automobiles that have been illegally parked, abandoned, etc.
- The part of a canal between two locks, and therefore at the same water level.
Etymology 3
From , alteration of , from . Likely influenced by Etymology 2 , from , in relation to the hollow mortar for pounding with the pestle.