2006-06-16 04:23:23 · 3 answers · asked by akc1106 4 in Education & Reference ➔ Trivia
The origin is in the Latin word libra, which could mean both balance scales (hence the symbol for the astrological sign Libra, which was named after a constellation that was thought to resemble scales) and also a pound weight, for which the full expression was libra pondo, the second word being the origin of our pound.
2006-06-16 04:28:57 · answer #1 · answered by Dorcus 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Lb., or lbs,. is the abbreviation of the Latin term "libra", or "libras." Libra is Latin for scale. Libras is the plural, more than one. Because the educated people of Europe sudied in Latin primarily, the term became associated with weighing and weights and became associated with the unit measure of a pound at some time. So, today, we have an anitquated term, lb., that seems to make little sense, but is recognized universally for a type of weight measurement and description of British currency.
2006-06-16 11:59:55 · answer #2 · answered by quietwalker 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Angela anserwed your question. So I guess the only thing I can add is that the plural form of libra is libras; thus we have lbs.
2006-06-16 11:31:37 · answer #3 · answered by sara_cp86 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋