The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
n. Any of various units of weight used in southeast Asia and China and equal to 100 catties, especially a Chinese unit equal to 133 1/3 pounds (about 60 kilograms).
n. A traditional Asian unit of weight, as much as a man can carry on a shoulder-pole.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. A commercial weight varying in different countries and for different commodities. In Borneo it is 1355/8 lbs.; in China and Sumatra, 1331/2 lbs.; in Japan, 1331/3 lbs.; but sometimes 130 lbs., etc. Called also, by the Chinese, tan.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A weight in use in China and the East generally, containing 100 kin or catties, and equal to about 133⅛ pounds avoirdupois. By the Chinese it is called tan.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. a unit of weight used in some parts of Asia; approximately equal to 133 pounds (the load a grown man can carry)
Word Usage
"The cotton, in the seed, is sold by the picul, which is"