Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical and Discursive c10.15757

c10.15757

**VISS**, s. A weight used in S. India and in Burma; Tam. *visai*, ‘division,’ Skt. *vihita*, ‘distributed.’ In Madras it was 1/40 of a Madras maund, and = 3lb. 2oz. avoirdupois. The old scale ran, 10 pagoda weights = 1 *pollam*, 40 *pollams* = 1 *viss*, 8 *viss* = 1 *maund* (of 25lbs.), 20 *maunds* = 1 *candy*. In Burma the *viss* = 100 *tikals* = 5lbs. 5 1/4. *Viss* is used in Burma by foreigners, but the Burmese call the weight *peik-tha*, probably a corruption of *visai*.