The apothecaries' system of mass is an obsolete system formerly used by apothecaries (now called pharmacists or chemists) in English-speaking countries. The system was closely related to the troy system of mass, having identically sized pounds and ounces, but the two systems differed in how the ounce was subdivided. Apothecary (from the Latin apothecarius, a keeper of an otheca, a store) is a historical name for a medical practitioner who formulates and dispenses materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients — a role now served by a pharmacist. ... Pharmacists are health professionals who practice pharmacy. ... A chemist is a scientist who specializes in chemistry. ... Troy weight is a system of units of mass customarily used for precious metals and gemstones. ...
During the 20th century, the apothecaries' system was replaced by the metric system and the SI. The International System of Units (symbol: SI) (for the French phrase Syst me International dUnit s) is the most widely used system of units. ... SI (disambiguation). ...
A scale, or graduated standard, of heaviness; a mode of estimating weight; as, avoirdupois weight; troy weight;apothecaries' weight.
To load with a weight or weights; to load down; to make heavy; to attach weights to; as, to weight a horse or a jockey at a race; to weight a whip handle.
To assign a weight to; to express by a number the probable accuracy of, as an observation.