Etymologically
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troy

Etymology and origin of the English word troy

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Confidence
Probable
Formation
Eponym
First attested
1380–81
From
Middle English troye

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /trɔɪ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English troye, probably from French Troyes, a city in France where a fair was held at which this weight is said to have been used.[2][3][4][5][6] Troyes was the Roman capital of the Tricasses, a Celtic people.[2][3] Large medieval towns had their own standard weights, and some were widely accepted by merchants elsewhere.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Troy weight, the standard for gems and precious metals: 1380–81, as troye, in Barnhart;[2] 1390–1 in the OED, the late 14th century in Etymonline.[7][3] Hoad notes it first in the phrases mark of troye and pound of troye.[4]

Semantic evolution

A figurative use from 1599 alludes to the pound troy being lighter than the pound avoirdupois.[7] The pound troy contains 5,760 grains and is divided into 12 ounces.[3] In the dialects of Yorkshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire a troy was a steelyard or a pair of scales.[8]

Timeline

  • 1380–81 – troye, troy weight.[2]
  • 1390–1 – troy weight.[7]
  • 1599 – figurative use.[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Of, in or measured by troy weight, the system used for gems and precious metals.

Noun

  1. Troy weight.
  • avoirdupois
  • troy weight

Usage notes

Troy, the ancient city in Asia Minor, is a separate name.[7][9]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
  9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Troy.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/troy. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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