hundredweight

[ huhn-drid-weyt ]

noun

, plural hun·dred·weights, (as after a numeral) hun·dred·weight.

1. Also called cental, quintal. a unit of avoirdupois weight commonly equivalent to 100 pounds (45.359 kilograms) in the U.S. : cwt
2. cental ( def 2 ).

hundredweight

/ ˈhʌndrədˌweɪt /

noun

1. Also calledlong hundredweight a unit of weight equal to 112 pounds or 50.802 35 kilograms
2. Also calledshort hundredweight a unit of weight equal to 100 pounds or 45.359 24 kilograms
3. Also calledmetric hundredweight a metric unit of weight equal to 50 kilograms

Word History and Origins

Origin of hundredweight¹

First recorded in 1570–80; hundred + weight

Example Sentences

Otto lowered the bundle into the floor and sealed the hole with fresh concrete, in a spot where it was hidden under a rack of hundredweight iron bars.

From New York Times

If nothing else, you don’t want relatives buried under a hundredweight of undifferentiated data with no sense of what is important to you.

From The Guardian

Small dairies would receive more money per hundredweight of milk produced, while the largest dairies wouldn’t receive any federal funds.

From Washington Times

“I was getting $17 per hundredweight. Am I the only one that sees a problem with the color of this picture?”

From Washington Times

Redknapp said he had been sent "half a hundredweight" of the dessert since returning home and would give it to the homeless in Bournemouth.

From BBC