pound-force

[ pound-fawrs, -fohrs ]

noun

, Physics.

1. a foot-pound-second unit of force, equal to the force that produces an acceleration equal to the acceleration of gravity when acting on a mass of one pound. : lbf

Word History and Origins

Origin of pound-force¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Even the 1999 Mars Climate Orbiter disaster—NASA’s unmanned spacecraft disintegrated due to an error introduced because its software used metric measures, while its ground crew used pound-force units—didn’t shake us from our doldrums.

From Slate