POUND

unit of avoirdupois weight, equal to 16 ounces, 7,000 grains, or 0.4536 kilograms, and of troy and apothecaries' weight, equal to 12 ounces, 5,760 grains, or 0.37 kg. The Roman ancestor of the modern pound, the libra, is the source of the abbreviation lb. In early England several derivations of the libra vied for general acceptance. Among the earliest of these, the Tower pound, so called because its standard was kept in the Royal Mint in the Tower of London, was applied to precious metals and drugs. The troy pound, named after Troyes, Fr., superseded the lighter Tower pound in 1527 as the gold and silver standard. Increased trade with France led also to the adoption of the 16-ounce avoirdupois pound in the 16th century. The British monetary pound is historically linked with the minting of silver coins (sterlings) from the Tower pound. Large payments were reckoned in "pounds of sterlings," later shortened to "pounds sterling."