Why Is Pounds Abbreviated to Lbs?

The abbreviation “lbs” for the unit of weight pounds comes from the Roman term libra. The word libra means “scales” or “balance” in Latin, and the Latin phrase libra pondo means “pound by weight.” This ancient Roman unit of weight was brought to Britain, where it became the standard for weighing gold and silver and for use in all commercial transactions. One unit of this ancient Roman weight would be equivalent to about 0.329 kg. The English word pound is from pondo, but the abbreviation lb is derived from libra. It is likely that the usage entered the English language during the Middle English period, in the 14th century.