oitava

Meanings

1. A traditional Portuguese unit of dry measure, equivalent to 1.6–2.4 liters in different 19th-century contexts.
2. A traditional Portuguese unit of mass, usually equivalent to 3.6 grams.
3. A traditional Brazilian unit of weight, equivalent to 17.44 carats, typically used for gold and precious stones.

Etymology

From Portuguese oitava, from Old Galician-Portuguese oitavo, from Latin octāvus (“eighth”), q.v., in reference to it making up one-eighth of the alqueire (Portuguese bushel) or onça (Portuguese ounce). Doublet of octave, octavo, and ochava.