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once

ounce

noun ONS Rare

Origin: Latin 'uncia' (twelfth part)

Usage Note

Once is a historical or technical unit of weight (approximately 28 grams) rarely used in everyday modern French, which relies on the metric system. It appears in recipes of Anglo-American origin, precious-metals trading, and idiomatic expressions such as une once de bon sens ('an ounce of common sense'). Not to be confused with onze (eleven).

Examples

"Il n'a pas une once de patience."

Natural Translation

He doesn't have an ounce of patience.

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