Furlong meaning | Furlong Mnemonic

 

Furlong Sentence: He maintained his health by running a distance of about fourteen furlongs every morning.

 

 

Under The Lens: Furlong Etymology

Furlong comes from old English words furh (furrow) and lang (long). Furlong originated as the length of a furrow in one acre of field. As it was difficult to turn a team of oxen pulling a heavy plough, furrows were made as long as possible. Furlong is 1/8th of a mile or 220m yards. An acre is an area that is one furlong long and one chain (66 feet or 22 yards) wide. For this reason, the furlong was once also called an acre’s length, though of course in modern usage an area of one acre can be any shape.

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