DCHP-1 Online

plu plew, plue, and (erroneously) plus, the last form being a plural form, used along with plews, plues [< Cdn F < F pelu skin, pelt] Fur Trade, Hist.

• 1 n. a prime beaver skin or other fur of equivalent value.

  See also: made beaver (def. 1)  

  • The plu was the standard unit of value used in the fur country by the North West Company, the made beaver being the equivalent unit with the Hudson's Bay Company.

  • 1800  (1933)  The Iroquois . . . Makes us signes he & his 7 friends have 400 Plues.
  • 1804  (1933)  In the afternoon Young Jourdin arrived . . . with 27 Plus and left as many at the lodge.
  • 1826  (1931)  The Servants attached to the Sanke Expedition brought Two thousand one hundred and eighty eight plus in Beaver weighing Two thousand eight hundred and seventeen pounds, and Seventy nine plus in Otters.
  • 1963  All other skins were graded in value to the beaver standard of the "plus" [sic]

• 2 n. a unit of value of one made beaver applied to goods other than furs.

  • 1794  (1889)  Tranquille bought a slave woman--i.e., taken in war . . . for two horses and 20 pluëz in goods.
  • 1811  (1889)  At this date we received only seven plues of fresh meat and were upon this little suply no less than eight months, of course it was but two meals.