Hundredweight
/ˈhʌn.drəd.weɪt/noun
A unit of weight equal to 112 pounds in the British imperial system or 100 pounds in the U.S. customary system.
Did you know?The term is not mystical in origin, but it preserves an older commercial habit of naming weights by exact counted units, and its meaning shifted by region so the “hundred” is not always 100.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
hund
“The number 100.”
Old English
OE
wiht
“Weight, a thing weighed, or a unit of weight.”
Middle English
ME
hundred wight
“A hundred in weight; a measure of bulk or mass used in trade.”
14th-16th Century
English
hundredweight
“A standardized commercial weight used in markets and shipping.”
Modern English
English
hundredweight
“A unit of weight equal to 112 pounds in Britain or 100 pounds in the United States.”