*angstrom *centimeter *foot grain* gram* * hectare * inch kilogram* long ton* * meter microgram* *micrometer *micron milligram* *millimeter *nanometer ounce* pennyweight* *picometer pound* short ton* stone* tonne* troy ounce* troy pound* * yard.
By the time of the famed Roman senator and historian Tacitus (AD 56 to ca. 117), the vow of âdeath before dishonorâ had become âold-fashionedâ and something espoused by the barbari or barbarians such as Caratacus (chief of the British, who revolted against Rome).
Meaning. 1  Any misfortune that would make life unlivable, especially rape or loss of virginity. 2  This phrase originally attested to the belief that a dishonoured woman was better off dead.  3 The matrons and virgins of Rome were exposed to injuries more dreadful, in the apprehension of chastity, than death itself..