☙

scruple

1

A unit of mass in the apothecaries' weight system in the English-speaking world, 18ᵗʰ – 20ᵗʰ century, = 20 grains = ¹⁄₃ drachm or dram, exactly 1.295 978 2 grams. In the United Kingdom, use of the scruple in trade ended on January 1, 1971.¹

The symbol for the scruple is ℈, which is very ancient, appearing in manuscripts of the Roman era. It is sometimes followed by an S, which stands for the Latin semis, half. So ℈ S is half a scruple.

1. Weights and Measures Act, 1963, a prohibition specifically reaffirmed in the Weights and Measures Acts of 1976 and 1985.

2

A unit of liquid capacity in British apothecaries' measure, about 1.184 milliliters.