Forms: 4–6 troye, 5 troie, 5– troy; also Sc. 5–7 trois, 6 troiss, troyis, (troce). [The received opinion is that it took its name from a weight used at the fair of Troyes in France, which is favored by the Scottish forms, trois, troiss, troyis.] Troy weight († weight of Troy), also ellipt. Troy: The standard system of weights used for the precious metals and precious stones; formerly also for bread. Also attrib., troy ounce, pound, etc. (also ounce troy, pound troy, etc.). Cf. TOWER POUND.
The pound troy contains 5760 grains, and is divided into 12 ounces. Cf. AVOIRDUPOIS.
1390–1. Earl Derby’s Exped. (Camden), 100. Pro j chargeour, iij diocis, et j sawcere, ponderis xx marc de troye.
1423. Rolls of Parlt., IV. 256/2. Silver is bought atte pris of xxxii s. the pound of troie.
1458. Agnes Paston, in P. Lett., I. 422. To do make me vj. sponys, of viij. ounce of troy wyght.
1488–91. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., I. 168. The cunȝeing of fifty tua Trois pundis and ane halue vnce of brokin siluer.
1542. Recorde, Gr. Artes (1575), 202. Of Ounces after Troye rate … 12 doe make 1 pounde.
1555. Reg. Privy Council Scot., I. 413. That thair be cunyeit ane penny of silver … of wecht ane unce, troce wecht.
1573. Aberdeen Regr. (1848), II. 10. A troiss pund of brass, pryce v. s.
1582. Reg. Privy Council Scot., III. 481. Quhilk [penny] suld wey ane quarter unce troyis wecht.
1641. in R. W. Cochran-Patrick, Rec. Coinage Scotl. (1876), I. Introd. 32. The once trois of bullione.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. 259/2. [By] Troy Weight … are Weighed … Bread, and all manner of Corn and Grain.
1825. J. Nicholson, Operat. Mechanic, 759. Take an exact troy ounce of the ore.
1868. Rogers, Pol. Econ., iii. (1876), 29. In the rough, it may be said that the cost of producing a pound Troy of gold is fifteen-and-a-half times as great as that of producing a pound Troy of silver.
b. fig. in allusion to the pound troy being less than the pound avoirdupois.
1599. Massinger, etc., Old Law, IV. i. There was Cressid was Troy weight, and Nell was avoirdupois.
1647. Ward, Simp. Cobler (1843), 33. Heads…, who will weigh Rules by Troyweight, and not by the old Haber-du-pois.
18[?]. J. Parker, in W. Adamson, Life, i. (1902), 4. No namby-pamby speaker, weighing words in troy scales and mincing syllables as if afraid of them.
1906. Daily Chron., 21 Dec., 9/2. Years and years of troy-weight legislation have left unrectified the avoirdupois anomaly.
