Pound

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Pound, v. t. [OE. pounen, AS. punian to bruise. Cf. Pun a play on words.].

•  To strike repeatedly with some heavy instrument; to beat.  [1913 Webster]

  "With cruel blows she pounds her blubbered cheeks."  [1913 Webster]
•  To comminute and pulverize by beating; to bruise or break into fine particles with a pestle or other heavy instrument; as, to pound spice or salt.  [1913 Webster]

Pound, v. i. 

•  To strike heavy blows; to beat.  [1913 Webster]
•  To make a jarring noise, as in running; as, the engine pounds.  [1913 Webster]

Pound, n. [AS. pund an inclosure: cf. forpyndan to turn away, or to repress, also Icel. pynda to extort, torment, Ir. pont, pond, pound. Cf. Pinder, Pinfold, Pin to inclose, Pond.].

•  An inclosure, maintained by public authority, in which cattle or other animals are confined when taken in trespassing, or when going at large in violation of law; a pinfold.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  A level stretch in a canal between locks.  [1913 Webster]
•  A kind of net, having a large inclosure with a narrow entrance into which fish are directed by wings spreading outward.  [1913 Webster]

Pound covert, a pound that is close or covered over, as a shed. -- Pound overt, a pound that is open overhead.

Pound, v. t. 

 To confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound.  Milton.  [1913 Webster]

Pound, n. [AS. pund, fr. L. pondo, akin to pondus a weight, pendere to weigh. See Pendant.].

•  A certain specified weight; especially, a legal standard consisting of an established number of ounces.  [1913 Webster]

  " The pound in general use in the United States and in England is the pound avoirdupois, which is divided into sixteen ounces, and contains 7,000 grains. The pound troy is divided into twelve ounces, and contains 5,760 grains. 144 pounds avoirdupois are equal to 175 pounds troy weight. See Avoirdupois, and Troy."  [1913 Webster]
•  A British denomination of money of account, equivalent to twenty shillings sterling, and equal in value to about $4.86. There is no coin known by this name, but the gold sovereign is of the same value.  [1913 Webster]

  " The pound sterling was in Saxon times, about a. d. 671, a pound troy of silver, and a shilling was its twentieth part; consequently the latter was three times as large as it is at present."  Peacham.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Pound, n.
1 a unit of weight equal to 16 oz. avoirdupois (0.4536 kg), or 12 oz. troy (0.3732 kg).
2 (in full pound sterling) (pl. same or pounds) the chief monetary unit of the UK and several other countries.

Idiom

pound cake a rich cake containing a pound (or equal weights) of each chief ingredient. pound coin (or note) a coin or note worth one pound sterling. pound of flesh any legitimate but crippling demand. pound Scots hist. 1s. 8d. pound sign the sign {pound}, representing a pound.

Pound, v.
1 tr. a crush or beat with repeated heavy blows. b thump or pummel, esp. with the fists. c grind to a powder or pulp.
2 intr. (foll. by at, on) deliver heavy blows or gunfire.
3 intr. (foll. by along etc.) make one's way heavily or clumsily.
4 intr. (of the heart) beat heavily.

Idiom

pound out produce with or as if with heavy blows.

Derivative

pounder n.

Pound, n. & v.
--n.
1 an enclosure where stray animals or officially removed vehicles are kept until redeemed.
2 a place of confinement.
--v.tr. enclose (cattle etc.) in a pound.

Idiom

pound lock a lock with two gates to confine water and often a side reservoir to maintain the water level.

Etymology

ME f. OE pund- in pundfald: see PINFOLD

THESAURUS

Pound

Deutschmark, Mark, Reichsmark, abrade, ache, afghani, agonize, ail, ambush, anguish, anna, assail, assault, atomize, attack, baht, bang, barrage, bash, baste, bat, batter, bawbee, beat, beat a ruffle, beat a tattoo, beat into, beat the drum, beat time, beating, belabor, belt, biff, blanch, blench, blitz, blow, bludgeon, bonk, bottle up, box up, bray, brecciate, bruise, buffet, bung, bung up, bushwhack, cage, carat, cattery, cent, centavo, centigram, centime, check, chop, cleanse, clear, clip, clobber, cloister, clout, clump, come at, come down on, comminute, compound, confine, constrain, conto, contriturate, contuse, coop, coop in, coop up, cork up, count, count the beats, crack, crack down on, cram in, crib, crowd in, crown, crumb, crumble, crush, cudgel, cut, dash, decagram, decigram, descend on, descend upon, detain, dig, din, ding, dint, disintegrate, dog pound, doghouse, dollar, dong, dram, dram avoirdupois, drive, drive in, drub, drubbing, drum, drum music, drumbeat, drumfire, drumming, dyne, empty, encage, enclose, enclosure, expel, fall on, fall upon, farthing, feel pain, feel the pangs, fence in, fiver, flail, flap, florin, flounder, flour, flutter, force, force in, fourpence, fourpenny, fragment, franc, fusillade, gang up on, go at, go for, go pitapat, grain, gram, granulate, granulize, grate, grave, grimace, grind, grind to powder, groat, guilder, guinea, gulden, half crown, half dollar, halfpenny, hammer, harry, have a misery, have at, heave, hell, hem in, hit, hit like lightning, hobbyhorse, hold, hold in custody, hold in restraint, hundredweight, hurt, immure, impact, impound, inhibit, jab, jam in, jump, keep in, keep in custody, keep in detention, keep time, kennel, kilo, kilogram, kip, knock, knock in, kopeck, krona, krone, lambaste, land on, larrup, lay at, lay hands on, lay into, levigate, lick, light into, limbo, lira, lurch, mag, make heavy weather, mash, mass, maul, meg, megaton, mew, mew up, mill, milligram, milreis, mite, mole, monkey, mug, new pence, np, ounce, ounce avoirdupois, ounce troy, p, palpitate, palpitation, paradiddle, paste, patter, pelt, pen, pen up, pence, penfold, penny, pennyweight, peseta, pestle, pie, piece of eight, pinfold, pistareen, pitapat, pitch, pitch and toss, pitch into, pitter-patter, place of confinement, play drum, plunge, plunge in, plunk, poke, poke in, pommel, pony, pounce upon, pound avoirdupois, pound in, pound out, pound troy, poundal, pounding, powder, press in, produce, pulp, pulsate, pulsation, pulse, pulverize, pummel, punch, purgatory, purge, push in, quid, rail in, ram in, rand, rap, rat-a-tat, rat-tat, rat-tat-tat, rataplan, rattattoo, rear, reduce to powder, reel, restrain, restrict, rial, rid, rock, roll, rub-a-dub, ruble, ruff, ruffle, run in, rupee, sail into, scend, scrunch, scruple, seal up, set on, set upon, shackle, shard, shekel, shilling, shoot, shred, shrink, shut in, shut up, sixpence, slam, sledgehammer, slog, slug, smack, smart, smash, sock, sol, sou, sound a tattoo, spank, spatter, splatter, splutter, sputter, squash, squeeze in, staccato, stamp, stiver, stone, strike, stroke, stuff in, suffer, surprise, swat, sway, swing, swipe, swoop down on, take the offensive, tamp in, tap, tat-tat, tattoo, tenner, thrash, threepence, threepenny bit, thresh, thrill, thrippence, throb, throbbing, thrum, thrust in, thump, thumping, thwack, tingle, tom-tom, ton, toss, toss and tumble, triturate, tumble, tuppence, twinge, twitch, twopence, units of weight, wade into, wall in, wallop, wallow, wedge in, weight, welter, whack, whip, whop, wince, won, work over, writhe, yard, yaw, yen, yerk

ROGET THESAURUS

Pound

Prison

N prison, prison house, jail, gaol, cage, coop, den, cell, stronghold, fortress, keep, donjon, dungeon, Bastille, oubliette, bridewell, house of correction, hulks, tollbooth, panopticon, penitentiary, guardroom, lockup, hold, round house, watch house, station house, sponging house, station, house of detention, black hole, pen, fold, pound, inclosure, isolation (exclusion), penal settlement, penal colony, bilboes, stocks, limbo, quod, calaboose, chauki, choky, thana, workhouse, Newgate, Fleet, Marshalsea, King's Bench, Queen's Bench, bond, bandage, irons, pinion, gyve, fetter, shackle, trammel, manacle, handcuff, straight jacket, strait jacket, strait-jacket, strait-waistcoat, hopples, vice, vise, yoke, collar, halter, harness, muzzle, gag, bit, brake, curb, snaffle, bridle, rein, reins, bearing rein, martingale, leading string, tether, picket, band, guy, chain, cord, cavesson, hackamore, headstall, jaquima, lines, ribbons, bolt, deadbolt, bar, lock, police lock, combination lock, padlock, rail, wall, stone wall, paling, palisade, fence, picket fence, barbed wire fence, Cyclone fence, stockade fence, chain-link fence, barrier, barricade, drag.

Inclosure

N inclosure, envelope, case, wrapper, girdle, pen, fold, pen fold, in fold, sheep fold, paddock, pound, corral, yard, net, seine net, wall, hedge, hedge row, espalier, fence, pale, paling, balustrade, rail, railing, quickset hedge, park paling, circumvallation, enceinte, ring fence, barrier, barricade, gate, gateway, bent, dingle, door, hatch, cordon, prison, dike, dyke, ditch, fosse, moat.

Gravity

N gravity, gravitation, weight, heaviness, specific gravity, pondorosity, pressure, load, burden, burthen, ballast, counterpoise, lump of, mass of, weight of, lead, millstone, mountain, Ossa on Pelion, weighing, ponderation, trutination, weights, avoirdupois weight, troy weight, apothecaries' weight, grain, scruple, drachma, ounce, pound, lb, arroba, load, stone, hundredweight, cwt, ton, long ton, metric ton, quintal, carat, pennyweight, tod, gram, centigram, milligram, microgram, kilogram, nanogram, picogram, femtogram, attogram, balance, scale, scales, steelyard, beam, weighbridge, spring balance, piezoelectric balance, analytical balance, two-pan balance, one-pan balance, postal scale, baby scale, statics, weighty, weighing, heavy as lead, ponderous, ponderable, lumpish, lumpy, cumbersome, burdensome, cumbrous, unwieldy, massive, incumbent, superincumbent.

Pulverulence

VB come to dust, be disintegrated, be reduced to powder reduce to powder, grind to powder, pulverize, comminute, granulate, triturate, levigate, scrape, file, abrade, rub down, grind, grate, rasp, pound, bray, bruise, contuse, contund, beat, crush, cranch, craunch, crunch, scranch, crumble, disintegrate, attenuate.