bushel

(bu)

   1. a traditional unit of volume used for measuring dry commodities such asgrains and fruits. In the United States, the customary bushel is based onan old British unit known as the Winchester bushel. This unit datesto the early fourteenth century, at least: King Edward I defined the bushelto be 8 gallons in 1303. The form used in the U.S. was legalized by Parliamentin 1696. One U.S. or Winchester bushel equals 4 pecks or 32 (dry) quarts; this is a volume of 2150.42cubic inches or about 1.2445 cubic feet, and represents the volume of acylindrical container 18.5 inches (47.0 cm) in diameter and 8 inches (20.3cm) deep. The U.S. bushel holds about 35.239 07 liters. Traditionally, thereis also a heaped bushel, which is 27.8% (sometimes 25%) larger thana regular bushel. The regular bushel is also called struck measure to indicate that the bushels have been struck, or leveled, rather then heaped.The origin of the word "bushel" is unclear; some scholars believe it derivesfrom an ancient Celtic unit, but most believe it is of medieval Frenchorigin, probably a slang name for a wooden crate (the French word for woodis bois).

   2. a unit of volume in the British Imperial system (see gallon³) equal to 8 Imperial gallons, or 2219.36 cubic inches (1.2844 cubic feet). The Imperial bushel holds about 36.369 liters.

   3. a commercial unit of weight for grains and other bulk commodities. Agricultural commodities such as wheat are traditionally sold by the bushel, but because commodities tend to settle and compact in shipping, disputes over the volume delivered arise easily. To avoid these disputes, traders in a market or a country generally agree on a standard weight for one bushel of the commodity. Often this standard weight is set by law. Although the bill of lading still shows "bushels," it is really the weight rather than the volume that is sold and guaranteed. For example, in the United States a bushel of wheat equals 60 pounds (27.216 kg), a bushel of barley 48 pounds (21.772 kg), a bushel of oats 32 pounds (14.515 kg), and a bushel of rye 56 pounds (25.401 kg). A more complete table is included.