Krittiraj Adchasai via Getty ImagesIn Roman times, the word libra referred to balance or scales. It was also part of a unit of measurement ― libra pondo, which has been translated as “pound weight” or “a pound by weight.” So the shorthand libra, or “lb,” referred to a pound by weight. The earliest known uses of “libra” or “lb” for pound in the English language supposedly appear in the 14th century. The “pondo” part of that ancient Roman measurement, meanwhile, is the origin of the word “pound” in English. Although the word “pound” evokes a measurement of weight for Americans, British people are more likely to associate it with their currency ― the pound sterling, aka the pound.

Source: Huffington Post February 20, 2018 20:37 UTC