n. 1. A unit of mass in the metric system equal to 100 kilograms. 2. See hundredweight. [Middle English, a unit of weight, from Old French, from Medieval Latin quintāle, from Arabic qinṭār, from Late Greek kentēnarion, from Late Latin centēnārium (pondus), hundred(weight), from Latin centēnārius, of a hundred; see CENTENARY.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.