furlong

views updated Jun 08 2018

furlong an eighth of a mile, 220 yards. Recorded from Old English (in form furlang), the word comes from furh ‘furrow’ + lang ‘long’. The word originally denoted the length of a furrow in a common field (formally regarded as a square of ten acres). It was also used as the equivalent of the Roman stadium, one eighth of a Roman mile, whence the current sense.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

furlong

views updated May 21 2018

fur·long / ˈfərˌlông; -ˌläng/ • n. an eighth of a mile, 220 yards.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

furlong

views updated May 14 2018

furlong OE. furlang, f. furh FURROW + lang LONG1; orig. the length of the furrow in the common field.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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