furlong

furlong
(fur)
   a traditional unit of distance. Long before the Norman Conquest in 1066, Saxon farmers in England were measuring distance in rods and furlongs and areas in acres. The word "furlong", from the Old English fuhrlang, means "the length of a furrow"; it represents the distance a team of oxen could plow without needing a rest. A furlong equals 40 rods1, which is exactly 10 chains, 220 yards, 660 feet, or 1/8 mile. One furlong is exactly 201.168 meters, so a 200-meter dash covers a distance very close to a furlong. The length of horse races is often stated in furlongs.

Dictionary of units of measurement. 2015.

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  • Furlong — Fur long, n. [OE. furlong, furlang, AS. furlang, furlung, prop., the length of a furrow; furh furrow + lang long. See {Furrow}, and {Long}, a.] A measure of length; the eighth part of a mile; forty rods; two hundred and twenty yards. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • furlong — ● furlong nom masculin (anglais furlong) Unité anglo saxonne de longueur agraire, égale à 220 yards …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • furlong — O.E. furlang measure of distance (roughly 220 yards), originally the length of a furrow in the common field of 10 acres, from furh furrow + lang long. The acre of the common field being variously measured, the furlong was fixed 9c. on the… …   Etymology dictionary

  • furlong — [fʉr′lôŋ΄] n. [ME < OE furlang, a measure, lit., length of a furrow < furh, FURROW + lang, LONG1] a unit of length in the FPS system, equal to 220 yards or 1/ 8 statute mile (201.168 meters): one square furlong equals ten acres: abbrev. fur …   English World dictionary

  • Furlong — (spr. Förrióng), englisches Längenmaß = 1/8 englische Meile …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Furlong — (engl., spr. för , eigentlich a furrow long, »eine Furchenlänge«), engl. Feldmaß zu 10 Chains von 22 Yards = 201,164 m, in den Vereinigten Staaten = 201,168 m; bis 1825 in Schottland 240 Ells = 226,769 m und in Irland 280 Yards = 256,027 m …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Furlong — (spr. för ), engl. Längenmaß zu 220 Yards oder 660 Fuß = 201,16 m …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Furlong — (förrlong), 1/8 engl. Meile …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Furlong —   [ fəːlɔȖ; englisch, eigentlich »Länge einer Furche«] das, s/ s, Einheitenzeichen fur, in Großbritannien und in den USA verwendete Längeneinheit der Landwirtschaft: 1 fur = 220 yards = 201,168 m =1/8 mile.   …   Universal-Lexikon

  • furlong — ► NOUN ▪ an eighth of a mile, 220 yards. ORIGIN from the Old English words for «furrow» + «long» (originally denoting the length of a furrow in a common field) …   English terms dictionary

  • Furlong — unit of length m= 201.16800 accuracy=6 A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units. It is equal to one eighth of a mile or 660 feet or 201.168 metres.Five furlongs are approximately 1 kilometre (1.00584 km to be… …   Wikipedia

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