Approximate measures are units of

volumetric Volume is a measure of occupied three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch). The defi ...

measurement which are not defined by a government or government-sanctioned organization, or which were previously defined and are now repealed, yet which remain in use. It may be that all English-unit derived capacity measurements are derived from one original approximate measurement: the mouthful, consisting of about ounce, called the ro in ancient Egypt (their smallest recognized unit of capacity). The mouthful was still a unit of liquid measure during

Elizabethan times The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personific ...

. (The principal Egyptian standards from small to large were the ro, hin,

hekat The hekat or heqat (transcribed ''HqA.t'') was an ancient Egyptian volume unit used to measure grain, bread, and beer. It equals 4.8 litres, or about 1.056 imperial gallons, in today's measurements. retrieved March 22, 2020 at about 7:00 ...

, and khar.) Because of the lack of official definitions, many of these units will not have a consistent value.

United Kingdom

* glass-tumbler *breakfast-cup * tea-cup * wine-glass * table-spoon * dessert-spoon * tea-spoon *black-jack *

demijohn A carboy, also known as a demijohn or a lady jeanne, is a rigid container with a typical capacity of . Carboys are primarily used for transporting liquids, often water or chemicals. They are also used for in-home fermentation of beverages, ...

(dame-jeanne) *

goblet A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

*gyllot (about equal to 1/2

gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they ar ...

) * noggin (1/4 pint) * nipperkin (measure for liquor, containing no more than 1/2 pint) *tumblerful (10 fl oz or 2 gills or 2 teacupsful) * apothecaries' approximate measures **teacupful = about 4 fl oz **wineglassful = about 2 fl oz **tablespoonful = about 1/2 fl oz **dessertspoonful = about 2 fl dr **teaspoonful = about 1 fl dr **

drop Drop, DROP, drops or DROPS may refer to: * Drop (liquid) or droplet, a small volume of liquid ** Eye drops, saline (sometimes mydriatic) drops used as medication for the eyes * Drop (unit), a unit of measure of volume * Falling (physics), allowi ...

= about minim *teacupful (5 fl oz, or 1 gill ibid) *wineglassful (2-1/2 fl oz or 1/2 gill or 1/2 teacupful or 1/4 tumblerful) *dessertspoonful (1/4 fl oz or 2 fl dr and equal to 2 teaspoonful or 1/2 tablespoonful) *teaspoonful (1/8 fl oz or 1 fl dr and also equal to 1/2 dessertspoonful or 1/4 tablespoonful)

United States

The vagueness of how these measures have been defined, redefined, and undefined over the years, both through written and oral history, is best exemplified by the large number of sources that need to be read and cross-referenced in order to paint even a reasonably accurate picture. So far, the list includes the ''

United States Pharmacopoeia The ''United States Pharmacopeia'' (''USP'') is a pharmacopeia (compendium of drug information) for the United States published annually by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (usually also called the USP), a nonprofit organization tha ...

'', U.S. FDA,

NIST The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sc ...

, ''A Manual of Weights, Measures, and Specific Gravity'', State Board Questions and Answers, MediCalc, ''MacKenzie's Ten Thousand Receipts'', Approximate Practical Equivalents, ''When is a Cup not a Cup?'', Cook's Info, knitting-and.com., and ''Modern American Drinks''. Dashes, pinches, and smidgens are all traditionally very small amounts well under a teaspoon, but not more uniformly defined. In the early 2000s some companies began selling measuring spoons that defined a dash as teaspoon, a pinch as teaspoon, and a smidgen as teaspoon. Based on these spoons, there are two smidgens in a pinch and two pinches in a dash. However, the 1954 Angostura “''Professional Mixing Guide''” states that “a dash” is 1/6th of a teaspoon, or 1/48 of an ounce, and Victor Bergeron (a.k.a. Trader Vic, famous saloonkeeper), said that for bitters it was teaspoon, but fl oz for all other liquids.

References

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