Why are pound and ounce abbreviated "lb." and "oz."?

Let’s not forget James Joyce’s emigmatic references to “LSD” - which refers to Pounds (L) Shillings (S) and Pence (D)/

“lb” for “libra”, I believe (Latin for “weight”)

Edit: or for “scales” perhaps… my high school Latin was over a decade ago

The column referred to is Why are pound and ounce abbreviated “lb.” and “oz.”?, dated September 30, 1988.

D’oh! I thought this was GQ and the poster was looking for an answer to the question in the title.:smack: