Re: Types of numerals

Tristan McLeay wrote:
[snip]

> Ph. D. and Ray also corrected me about my fourteen pence. My bad! I got
> confused between twelve pence to a shilling and twenty shillings to a
> pound!
Yep - there were; and just to make life interesting, there were twenty
pennyweights to an ounce, and 12 ounces to a (Troy) pound    :-)

Indeed, the original pound (libra) was a pound weight of silver, and the
old English silver penny was - you've guessed it - one penny weight of
silver. But much inflation had taken place between those ancient times
and the pounds, shillings and pence (librae, solidi, denarii) I used as
a youngster  :)

Ounce is derived from Latin 'uncia' = "one twelfth" and the ounce & Troy
pound were used by gold & silversmith until the last century. But
somewhere along the line a different system came in for everyday use,
and (Avoirdupois) pounds, which some of my fellow countrymen still cling
onto & which is, I believe, still very alive in the USA has sixteen of
the old Roman twelfths   ;)

BTW, John and some others, might be interested in the old Roman fraction
names (nominative & genitive forms are given):
uncia, unciae (f.) = 1/12
sextans, sextantis (m.) = 2/12, i.e. 1/6
quadrans, quadrantis (m.) = 3/12, i.e. 1/4
triens, trientis (m.) = 4/12, i.e 1/3
quincunx, quincuncis (m.) = 5/12
semis, semissis (m.)* = 6/12, i.e 1/2
septunx, septuncis (m.) = 7/12
bes, bessis (m.) = 8/12, i.e. 2/3
dodrans, dodrantis (m.) = 9/12, i.e. 3/4
dextans, dextantis (m.)_or_ decunx, decuncis (m.) = 10/12, i.e 5/6
deunx, deuncis (m.) = 11/12
and:
as, assis (m.) = a unit (12/12)

*_semis_ was sometimes treated as an indeclinable adjective.

The 'as' of weight was _libra_ (pound) and of length was _pes_ (foot).
Both the English word 'ounce' and 'inch' are derived from _uncia_.

--
Ray
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