met

1

See also MET.

A unit of thermal activity equal to 50 calories per hour per square meter of the surface area of a human, defined in 1941. This value was chosen so that the thermal activity of an average man, sitting resting, would be about 1 met. The same man walking normally on a level surface would produce 3 met. The met is used in estimating a person’s need for insulation (expressed in clo) in various activities and environmental conditions.

The absolute value of the met varies with the size of the individual; for an average man it is about the heat generated by a 100-watt incandescent light bulb.

A. Pharo Gagge, A. C. Burton, and H. C. Bazett.
A practical system of units for the description of the heat exchange of man with his environment.
Science, volume 94, number 2445, page 429 (November 7, 1941).

Regarding definitions 2 and 3

In Scots the word “mett” has many meanings associated with measurement. It is sometimes difficult to tell whether a particular instance is describing something measured in the general sense, or a unit with a defined magnitude.

2

In Scotland, at least as early as the 18ᵗʰ century – 19ᵗʰ?, a unit of capacity used for herring = 42 Scots pints. Sometimes called the “two hundred herrings mett”; 5 of them were considered to constitute 1000 fish. Often spelled mett and sometimes mete.

sources

1

Anent another petitione from the burgh of Craill, for themselves and in name and behalf of the other burghs in Fife concerned in the fishing, and in name of the burgh of Dunbar, shewing that the petitioners finding in their experience that the selling of herrings by tale is a great loss to the merchants, being often injured in telling thereof, besides the herrings themselves being dashed and spoyled, craving therefor the conventione would obviat the saids inconveniencies by provyding that the herrings in saids burgh be sold by ane mett containing fourty two pynts of liquid measure, commonly called the two hundred herrings mett, and that the magistrats of each burgh wher herrings are bought and sold may keep a standart of the said mett, that all the metts within their jurisdictione be agreeable therto, as the petitione bears; which being considered by the conventione, they recommend to the saids burghs of Craill and the other burghs in Fife and Dunbar, that for hereafter no herrings be bought within their respective jurisdictiones by tale but only by the forsaid mett called the two hundred herrings mett, and to take care to keep ane standart of the said measure, to the effect all other measures may be agreeable therto, but prejudice always to the toun of Linlithgow of keeping metts and their priviledges of keeping metts and measures as formerly.

Convention of the Royal Burghs of Scotland.
Extracts from the Records of the Royal Burghs of Scotland, 1677-1711.
Edinburgh: William Paterson, 1880.
Page 406.
The record is from 5 July 1707.

2

6 July 1722

21. The convention considering that the fishers selling fresh herring by number and not by measure, is not only the occasion of fraud but also a great encumbrance upon trade, as also that there is a measure containing sixty six pints which has been used in Murray Firth and adjacent coasts whereby herrings has been sold with measure is agreeable also to the west country burrows, and that there is a measure commonly called a mett, reckoned to contain fourty tuo pints, five fulls whereof commonly pass for a thousand herrings, by which those in the Firth of Forth sometimes do sell their herrings and is agreeable to them; therefore the convention do statute and ordain that for hereafter in all the burrows of this kingdom fresh herring shall be sold by met and not by tale, viz., in the north and west as said is by the measure commonly called the barrel containing sixty six pints, and in the Firth of Forth by the measure called the mett containing fourty tuo pints; ...

Convention of the Royal Burghs of Scotland.
Extracts from the Records of the Royal Burghs of Scotland, 1711-38.
Edinburgh: William Paterson, 1885.
Pages 314-315.

3

In Scotland, ? – 20ᵗʰ century, units of capacity and mass used in the retail trade in coal, being the capacity of sacks.

In Dundee in the early 19ᵗʰ century the met was reported at a capacity of 54 Scots pints, with a weight of 183¾ pounds avoirdupois of coal, which is 10½ Scottish troy stones. In the 20ᵗʰ century the met appears to have shrunk to 1½ hundredweights (168 pounds), and the usual unit of sale was ½ met.

In Aberdeen, the met was 1¼ hundredweights = 140 pounds avoirdupois.

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