osteophyte - a small pathological bony outgrowth. I think “exostosis” is used more commonly.

exostosis
n.,
pl. 3ses# 73scz#8 5ModL < Gr exostbsis < ex3, outside + osteon, a bone: see OSTEO36 an abnormal bony growth on the surface of a bone or tooth

osteosarcoma - a malignant tumor of bone. Embrologically, the body is built from three layers, epidermal, endodermal, and mesodermal. Mesodermal malignancies are far less common, and are called sarcoma

mesenchyme
5< MES3 + ModL 3enchyma, suffix denoting a type of cell tissue: see PARENCHYMA6 Embryology that part of the unspecialized mesoderm from which the connective tissues, cartilage, bone, blood, heart, and lymphatic vessels are derived
mes[en[chy[mal 7mes e%4ki m!l, mez38
adj.

ostium
n.,
pl. 3ti[a 73!8 5L ostium: see OSTIARY6 Anat. an opening or orifice
Ostia
ancient city in Latium, at the mouth of the Tiber, that was the port of Rome

ounce
n.
5OFr unce < L uncia, a twelfth, twelfth part of a foot or pound, orig., unit, akin to L unus, ONE6
1 a unit of weight, equal to Y pound, avoirdupois or ! pound troy
2 FLUID OUNCE
3 any small amount !an ounce of care" Abbrev. oz

ounce2 7/ns8
n.
5ME once < OFr < l‘once, mistaken for lonce < VL *luncea < L lynx, LYNX6 SNOW LEOPARD

Interesting that originally an ounce meant a twelfth, it now means a sixteenth.
And remember, troy weight is used for silver, gold, and precious stones.
My dictionary does not give difference between troy weight, and avoirdupois,
used for ordinary commerce.

Interesting that originally an ounce meant a twelfth, it now means a sixteenth.

any ideas why/when it changed?

Dear etaoin: So far I haven't had any luck searching. Mostly for not having to think of right search words.
The twelve unit pattern is obviously older. I can't imagine why the sixteen unit system came into existence.

The avoirdupois pound is the pound in general use today...This pound is of 7000 grains, and is split into 16 ounces (each, therefore of 437.5 grains). Each ounce is divided into 16 drams...

The Troy pound was of 5760 grains, and was divided into 12 ounces, so a troy pound is lighter than an avoirdupois pound, but a troy ounce (at 480 grains) weighs more than an avoirdupois ounce (EA)

avoirdupois weights:
16 drams = 1 ounce
16 ounces = 1 pound
7 pounds = 1 clove
14 pounds = 1 stone
28 pounds = 1 tod
112 pounds = 1 hundredweight
364 pounds = 1 sack
2240 pounds = 1 ton
2 stones = 1 quarter
4 quarters = 1 hundredweight
20 hundredweight = 1 ton

NB: The sack is not in common use. There was a 'Butchers stone' of 8lb until the end of 1939...

(from http://home.clara.net/brianp/weights.html)

The failure of the U.S. to convert to the metric system completely is our biggest national disgrace.

I agree, wwh.

In reply to:

---

2240 pounds = 1 ton

---

There are several different weights for tons, depending upon the specific kind of ton that is wanted. I've forgotten the different names for the types of tons and the various weights that distinguish them from each other, but I think there are at least three different kinds of tons.

I've seen the metric (long) ton (=2240 lb, also =1000 kg) referred to as a "Tonne" and spelled that way deliberately so as to differentiate it from the US (short) ton (=2000 lb).

and of course there is the Chinese (won) ton

when I was in grade school in the early 70's, we spent some time learning the metric system, because the US would be converting during the next decade... sadly, that never happened. [sad]
of course, we were dealing with Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford at the time, so it isn't a wonder...

I don't see how we can blame Nixon or Ford. The problem was at the grassroot level. Too many slobs satisfied with the status quo.
Canada tried hard, but even up there, they seem to have given up insistence of kilometer road signs.

you're right, Bill, and I don't really blame them, we were all dealing with their troubles at the time...

there are other standards--

liquid volume, half gil (1 oz), gil(2 oz), half cup (4 oz), cup (8 oz), pint (16 oz), quart (32 oz), gallon (196 oz), (i don't know any higher properly)

half gil and gil are most commonly (in US bars) called shots, and double shots-- how about the rest of the world?

and dry volume--quarts, pecks and bussels,(which i don't know at all)

and cement,(portland type) is sold by the barrel,(the most common size bag of portland cement is 90 lbs, (1/4 barrel)(US)--in a past life, i did way more masonary work then most women) i don't know if this is an extention of the peck/ bussel dry volume (and if it just turns out that 1/4 of barrel of portland type cement weighs 90 lbs or so.

From the letters page in last week's issue of "The Economist":

Can you please define some of your quantitative terms? How big is a “raft” (“Gerhard Schröder's last chance”, February 8th) and how many of them are there in a “swathe” (“Give a dog a bad name”, February 22nd)? How many “tads” (“A last, last chance”, March 8th) make a “slew” (“A (going) private matter”, March 22nd)?

And from Quinion (http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/startrek.htm):

A major difference at this prototype stage is that the fictional device is hand-held, whilst the real one takes up a space “the size of a kitchen table” according to reports (it seems that “kitchen table” has now become a standard unit of measurement).


Bingley

And in America, a football field is a standard unit of measurement.

So is a block.

RE: in America, a football field is a standard unit of measurement

and so is a bread box-- but i don't know how common they are anymore!

Re: How big is a “raft”... and how many of them are there in a “swathe”?

I don't know how many raft's are in a swathe, but a swathe is the width of the sickle or sythe that cuts it! (or about 24 to 36 inches (more than .5 meters, less than 1 m.))