A number of different

units of measurement A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude (mathematics), magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other quantity of that kind can ...

have been used in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. The values of most of these units are not well defined. In 1963, Ethiopia adopted the

metric system The metric system is a system of measurement that succeeded the Decimal, decimalised system based on the metre that had been introduced in French Revolution, France in the 1790s. The historical development of these systems culminated in the d ...

Pre-metric era

These units have also been referred to as Abyssinian units of measurements.

Length

Different units were used to measure length. Values provided below are approximations only as these units were often not well-defined. 1 pic = 0.686

metres The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

1 farsang = 5070 m 1 berri = farsang (approx. 3 pics)

Mass

A number of units were used to measure mass. One rotto is approximately equal to 0.311

kilograms The kilogram (also kilogramme) is the unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), having the unit symbol kg. It is a widely used measure in science, engineering and commerce worldwide, and is often simply called a kilo colloquially ...

. Some other units are provided below. 1 drachm = rotto 1 = rotto 1 (ounce) = rotto 1 mocha = rotto

Capacity

Two types of measuring system were used, one for dry measures and one for liquid measures.

Dry

Different units were used to measure dry capacities. One is approximately equal to 0.44

litre The litre (international spelling) or liter (American English spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metre (m3). ...

s. 1 ardeb = 10 or 24 (these may sometimes be referred to as either the ''long ardeb'', equal to 24 or the ''short ardeb'', equal to 10 )

Liquids

The kuba(kubaya)pronounced in Ethiopia is approximately equal to 1.016 litres.

Household units

More than 70 different units are used in an ordinary household. Some of the more important units used are kilograms, kunna, medeb, esir, bobo, pieces, litres, tassa, , , sini, bottles, guchiye, sahen and weket. Details for some of the common units of measurements are given below: *Medeb: meaning "heap", can be large or small, and is mainly used for vegetables. *Tassa: A large serving can (often for cereals, pulses and liquids). *Sini: A small ceramic cup often used for coffee,

pulses In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the nec ...

(e.g.

oilseeds Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of fruits. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, or fats ...

) and spices. *Birchiko: A glass often for pulses and liquids *Kubaya: A mug, often for cereals, pulses and liquids. *Esir: A "bundle" often used for cabbage and chat (a mild stimulant) *Tikil: A wrap often for sugar and coffee. (Note: Most of the above are actual household items, such as tassa translating to can, and sini mainly being used for serving coffee, not measuring coffee or any other substances.)