A unit of weight used in East Asia, equal to about 1/100th of a tael, or approximately 3.75 grams.
From Portuguese candil or similar, ultimately from Arabic qintār, which referred to a unit of weight in Middle Eastern trade. The word traveled along trade routes from the Arab world to Europe to Asia.
The candareen perfectly shows how global trade created hybrid measurement systems—merchants from different regions needed common units, so words from Arabic mixed with Portuguese and entered Asian trade languages.
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