Re: Numbers from 1-10
| From: | John Cowan <cowan@...> |
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| Date: | Monday, September 1, 2003, 19:07 |
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Tristan McLeay scripsit:
> OTOH, I think 'hundred' used to be applicable to anything b/n 100 and 120,
> hence the English fakemeasurement called the hundredweight (I think it's
> 120 pounds, but for all I know it could've been 120 stone). Of course,
> Americans decided to confuse the Brits and made it 100 of whatever it was,
When the stone was changed from 12.5 to 14 lb in 1340, the hundredweight
(100 lb = 8 stone) was automatically changed to 112 (not 120) lb.
http://www.sizes.com/units/hundredweight.htm gives the details.
"Hundred" has never meant anything but 100 except in that one context.
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