Definition of "hundredweight"

A measure of weight containing a hundred pounds, variously understood as

1. (Canada, US) A unit of measurement containing 100 avoirdupois pounds (45.5 kg).  examples

2. (UK, chiefly historical) A unit of measurement containing 112 avoirdupois pounds (8 st or 51 kg).  quotations

   Quotations

   • The hundredweight of 112 avoirdupois lbs. becomes general in the period before me, and is employed for the commoner kinds of materials.

     1882, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume IV, page 209

3. (historical) Synonym of quintal, a unit of measurement containing various amounts depending on the objects weighed.

4. (historical) Various units of ancient measurement systems consisting of 100 units usually translated as "pounds".