furlong

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English furlong, forlong (“unit of distance about one-eighth of a mile; quantity of land equal to one square furlong; racetrack for foot races; foot race”) [and other forms], from Old English furlang, furlung, from furh (“a furrow”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- (“to dig; to open; to rip up”) + lang (“long”, adjective) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos (“long”)), originally the typical length of a furrow in an average field. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfɜːlɒŋ/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈfɝˌlɔŋ/ Hyphenation: fur‧long === Noun === furlong (plural furlongs or (archaic) furlong) A unit of distance equal to one-eighth of a mile (220 yards, or 201.168 metres), now mainly used in measuring distances in farmland and horse racing. (dated) A unit of land area one furlong (sense 1) square (ten acres, or about four hectares). (British, dialectal) An undefined portion of an unenclosed field. (historical) Synonym of stadion (“a Greek unit of distance based on standardized footraces, equivalent to about 185.4 metres”). Synonyms: stade, stadium (obsolete except British, dialectal, agriculture) Synonym of headland (“unploughed boundary of a field”). Synonym of land (“the ground left unploughed between furrows”). Synonym of land (“any of several portions into which a field is divided for ploughing”). ==== Alternative forms ==== forlong (obsolete) ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === furlong on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Joseph Wright, editor (1900), “FURLONG, sb.1”, in The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volume II (D–G), London: Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, →OCLC, page 521, column 1. == Middle English == === Alternative forms === ferlong, forelange, forlang, forlong, fourlonge, furlang, furlange, furelonge, furȝlonge, furlonge, furowlong === Etymology === From Old English furlang; equivalent to forow +‎ long. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈfurˌlɔnɡ/, /ˈfurˌlanɡ/, /ˈfɔr-/ === Noun === furlong (plural furlonges or furlong) furlong (unit of length) A unit of area of around ten acres. (rare) A racecourse. ==== Descendants ==== English: furlong ==== References ==== “furlong, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007. == Swedish == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English furlong. === Noun === furlong c (chiefly foreign) a furlong ==== Usage notes ==== The term seems to consistently maintain its English plural form (furlongs); the would-be Swedish plural form (furlonger) appears to be rare or nonexistent.