The Word Guy: Latin word 'libra' led to the abbreviation 'lb.'
Question: Why is “pound” abbreviated “lb.” and “ounce” abbreviated “oz.”?
— Regina Rozsa, Birmingham, Ala.
Answer: Allow me to weigh in on this subject. In Latin, “libra” meant “scales, balances,” as represented in the zodiac sign for the constellation Libra. The Romans also used libra to denote a unit of weight now estimated to have been about 327.45 grams.
Because a pound, at 454 grams, is roughly the weight of a Roman libra, English adopted lb. as the abbreviation for pound.
“Oz.” is an abbreviation of the old Italian word “onza,” now spelled “onzia.” Onza, in turn, is derived from the Latin “uncia,” which meant one-twelfth.
So an uncia was 27.29 grams, which is one-twelfth of a libra. Our current ounce (28.35 grams) is quite close to the original Latin uncia. (Uncia, by the way, is also the origin of “inch,” one-twelfth of a foot.)
Q: Is it now common usage to say “different than” instead of “different from”? Please say no!
— Nancy Smith, Wethersfield, Conn.
A: I wish I could just say no, but the answer to your question is bit too complicated for that.
Almost all language authorities agree that “different from” is the correct choice when two people or things are being compared: “Tom is different from (not ‘than') Sally”; “My kite is different from (not ‘than') your kite.”
This preference for “different from” extends to gerunds and noun phrases, even those that include clauses: “Teaching children is different from (not ‘than') playing with them”; “This project is different from (not ‘than') the one I proposed during the 1990s.”
But, because “from” is a preposition, not a conjunction, “different than” must be used when the object of comparison is expressed by a full clause: “Teaching children is different than (not ‘from') it was 20 years ago”; “This project is different than (not ‘from') it was during the 1990s.”
And, when you find that using “different from” leads to awkward phrasing, rewrite the sentence using “different than.” For example, awkward: “Some usage guidelines are different from what they were 50 years ago.” Smoother: “Some usage guidelines are different than they were 50 years ago.”
Brit alert! Incoming! British speakers freely say, “different than” in all constructions, e.g., “Cricket is different than baseball.” They even say, “different to,” e.g., “Tea is different to coffee.”
“Blimey!” say we Americans. “Hurl these linguistic imports into Boston Harbor!”
Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send reports of misuse , as examples of good writing, via email to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 Third St., Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.
