The name furlong derives from the Old English words furh (furrow) and lang (long). [3] Dating back at least to early Anglo-Saxon times, it originally referred to the length of the furrow in one acre of a ploughed open field (a medieval communal field which was divided into strips). The furlong (meaning furrow length) was the distance a team of oxen could plough without resting. This was ...
furlong, old English unit of length, based on the length of an average plowed furrow (hence “furrow-long,” or furlong) in the English open- or common-field system. Each furrow ran the length of a 40 × 4-rod acre, or 660 modern feet. The standardization of such linear units as the yard, foot, and inch—begun by government enactment sometime between 1266 and 1303—recognized the ...
Find what a furlong is and how long a furlong is in km, miles, and meters. Also, discover why furlongs are used in horse racing.
What Is A Furlong, and How Long Is It? History, Facts & FAQs
FURLONG definition: 1. a unit of length equal to 201 metres or 1/8 mile, used especially in horse racing: 2. a unit of…. Learn more.
Furlong A furlong is a measurement of length equal to 201.168 meters, 220 yards, or 660 feet. Below are relationships between furlongs and other common measurements of length: mile 660 feet 220 yards 40 rods 201.168 meters (relative to international yard) 201.1684026 meters (relative to US survey foot) What is a furlong A furlong is a unit of length in the US customary and imperial systems of ...