pound¹ (pound)

---

[Middle English, from Old English pund, from West Germanic* punda-, from Latin (lībra) pondō, (a pound) by weight.]

noun 

1. 1. A unit of weight equal to 16 ounces (453.592 grams).
   2. A unit of apothecary weight equal to 12 ounces (373.242 grams).
2. A unit of weight differing in various countries and times.
3. A British unit of force equal to the weight of a standard one-pound mass where the local acceleration of gravity is 9.817 meters (32.174 feet) per second per second.
4. 1. The basic monetary unit of the United Kingdom, worth 20 shillings or 240 old pence before the decimalization of 1971. Also called pound sterling
   2. A basic unit of currency in Egypt and Syria.
5. The primary unit of currency in Ireland before the adoption of the euro.
6. A monetary unit of Scotland before the Act of Union (1707). Also called pound scots
7. The pound key on a telephone.

pound² (pound)

---

[Middle English pounden, alteration of pounen, from Old English pūnian.]

verb: pound·ed, pound·ing, pounds. 

transitive verb 

1. To strike repeatedly and forcefully. See synonyms at beat
2. To beat to a powder or pulp; pulverize or crush.
3. To instill by persistent, emphatic repetition: pounded knowledge into the students' heads.
4. To assault with heavy gunfire.

intransitive verb 

1. To strike vigorous, repeated blows: He pounded on the table.
2. To move along heavily and noisily: The children pounded up the stairs.
3. To pulsate rapidly and heavily; throb: My heart pounded.
4. To move or work laboriously: a ship that pounded through heavy seas.

noun 

1. A heavy blow.
2. The sound of a heavy blow; a thump.
3. The act of pounding.

idioms

pound the pavement

To travel the streets on foot, especially in search of work.

derivatives

pound́er

noun

pound³ (pound)

---

[Middle English, from Old English pund-, enclosure (as in pundfall, pen).]

noun 

1. A public enclosure for the confinement of stray dogs or livestock.
2. A place in which impounded property is held until redeemed.
3. An enclosure in which animals or fish are trapped or kept.
4. A place of confinement for lawbreakers.

transitive verb: pound·ed, pound·ing, pounds. 

To confine in or as if in a pound; impound.