onça

noun

A traditional Portuguese unit of mass, usually equivalent to 28.7 g.

Meanings

nounonça (plural onças)

plural onças · alternative onca

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*óynos“one”
  2. Latinū̆ncia“unit, <small>¹<big>⁄</big>₁₂</small> pound”
  3. Portugueseonça
  4. Englishonça

From Portuguese onça, from Latin ū̆ncia (“unit, ¹⁄₁₂ pound”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Doublet of ounce, inch, onza, oka, ouguiya, awqiyyah, and uncia

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

onça. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%C3%A7a

MLA

“onça.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%C3%A7a. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “onça,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%C3%A7a.

Source: onça on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.