A quiet notice V2Melody closes at midnight on , Spanish time.

Closes

A note from Richard

V2Melody will close at midnight on 20 January 2028

This site has been a retirement project in musical poetry: poems chosen with care and set to music, offered freely for as long as it felt right to keep the garden open.

The work no longer holds the place it once did in my life. I have gone as far with it as I wish to go. Like a sand mandala, it was made to be completed and then released. I am not attached to its permanence, and I do not believe any of it needs to last beyond the time it was given. The poems were already here before I arrived and began to experiment with them. They will still be here when these musical experiments, and indeed myself, have been swept away, like the sand of a mandala. Nothing has been lost.

I want a simpler end to my life, days of simple love and enjoyment with my wonderful wife of 20 years. The work of maintaining a server, the monitoring, and the residual obligations that come with keeping a site alive no longer fit that life.

From 4 November 2026 I will not be adding new poems or musical poems to the site.

The experimental music I am making now is on my Suno profile. Those pieces stay there, and are not added to this site.

Until midnight on 20 January 2028, Spanish time, everything remains available exactly as it is. That is when my VPS server contract comes to an end, and it will not be renewed. After that, the server will be switched off and the site will disappear.

The Mandala Is Finished explains this more fully.

Thank you to anyone who found a poem, a track, or a quiet moment here.

The pleasure was in the making.

Richard

Home › Glossary › Letter P

pennyweight

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A unit of weight equal to 24 grains or 1/20 of a troy ounce, approximately 1.56 grams; used for precious metals and gems.

Detailed Definition
The pennyweight, measuring 24 grains or 1/20 troy ounce (about 1.555 grams), derives from the weight of a medieval silver penny. Used for precious metals, gems, and fine work, it reflects currency's historic connection to weight standards. In poetry concerning precious materials, value, jewelry, or monetary themes, pennyweight provides authentic measurement. The term evokes goldsmiths, jewelers, and the connection between weight and value. Poets employed pennyweights when treating themes of precious materials, craftsmanship, or value, adding technical terminology that links weight measurement to monetary worth and precious metal traditions.
Example
Example in poetry:
In poetry about goldsmiths and jewelry, "the ring weighed ten pennyweights, precious metal measured with precision"; Historical verse about medieval currency might reference "the penny's weight in silver gave pennyweight its name, money and measurement one"; Poetry exploring value uses "pennyweights of gold against pounds of grain—what determines worth?"; In verse about craftsmanship, "the goldsmith worked in pennyweights and grains, precision required when material costs so much"; Modern poets writing about engagement rings might invoke "three pennyweights of gold in my great-grandmother's ring—love measured in fractions"; Poetry about monetary history describes "when coins were weighed, not counted, pennyweights bridged currency and commodity."
Additional Notes
The pennyweight's origin in medieval silver penny weight makes it fascinating intersection of currency and measurement. Students should understand that 1 pennyweight = 24 grains = 1/20 troy ounce ≈1.56 grams. The term reflects historical reality when coin value equaled metal weight—"pound sterling" originally meant one troy pound of silver. In poetry about precious metals, jewelry, or monetary history, pennyweights provide authentic measurement vocabulary. Understanding troy weight system (grain < pennyweight < ounce < pound) used for precious metals helps students distinguish from avoirdupois system (general weight). The pennyweight appears in contexts of goldsmiths, jewelers, and assayers. Students should recognize that pennyweight connects weight to value—precious metals sold by weight, coins valued by weight, making measurement economically crucial. Related terms include grain (1/24 pennyweight), troy ounce (20 pennyweights), and scruple (apothecary weight). For students writing about jewelry, precious metals, or medieval economy, pennyweights add authentic commercial vocabulary. The pennyweight can represent value, preciousness, the connection between weight and worth, or historical monetary systems. The term evokes goldsmiths' shops, coin-making, and the tangible weight of wealth.
Also Known As
dwt penny weight
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