troy English · revision 15176

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=eponym|attested=1380–81}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /trɔɪ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|troye]], probably from [[fr|Troyes]], a city in France where a fair was held at which this weight is said to have been used.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024)^(NODE 1998) Troyes was the Roman capital of the Tricasses, a Celtic people.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) Large medieval towns had their own standard weights, and some were widely accepted by merchants elsewhere.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Troy weight, the standard for gems and precious metals: 1380–81, as troye, in Barnhart;^(Barnhart 1988) 1390–1 in the OED, the late 14th century in Etymonline.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) Hoad notes it first in the phrases mark of troye and pound of troye.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A figurative use from 1599 alludes to the pound troy being lighter than the pound avoirdupois.^(OED 1989) The pound troy contains 5,760 grains and is divided into 12 ounces.^(Etymonline) In the dialects of Yorkshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire a troy was a steelyard or a pair of scales.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1380–81 – troye, troy weight.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1390–1 – troy weight.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1599 – figurative use.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Of, in or measured by [[troy weight]], the system used for gems and precious metals.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # Troy weight.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[avoirdupois]]

+ * [[troy weight]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Troy, the ancient city in Asia Minor, is a separate name.^(OED 1989)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}