2/6/12  ...Which Starts with L Which Stands for Pound?

      Infrequently Answered Question #65: Why is pound abbreviated 'lb' when there's no L or B in the word?

      A: It's confusing because 'lb' is not an abbreviation for the word pound, but an abbreviation of another word which is a symbol for pound, libra.

      Here's how it works. A pound is a basic unit of weight which can be measured on a balance scale. Libra is Latin for scale. From libra to scale to weight to pound. So, the symbol for pound is libra which has an L and a B and is abbreviated 'lb'.

      This also explains the symbol for British money, the pound. You know, £. It's a script L with a crossbar for Libra. This is found on a computer keyboard at option-3. And shift-3 gets you a different pound sign, #. Well, sort-of a pound sign as it's only a pound sign on a telephone. On a computer # stands for the word number, which is abbreviated 'no' despite there being no O in number.

      To go off on another tangent, the astrological symbol for Libra is not £ or # but a horizontal line with a hump in the middle over a straight line. You won't find that on a computer keyboard so you'll have to type out the word. On a telephone pad you'd have to dial 5-4-2-7-2 to spell libra. Then again, there's no longer a dial on a phone to dial yet we say dial anyway.

      What I can't tell you is why ounce is abbreviated 'oz' when there's no Z in the word. But you didn't ask so I'm off the hook.