furlong
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furlong¹
- /ˈfɜːlɒŋ/ UK
- /ˈfɝˌlɔŋ/ US
Where it comes from
PIE word
*dlongʰos
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.
noun furlongs · furlong · forlong
- 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. Novv vvould I giue a thouſand furlongs of Sea, for an Acre of barren ground: Long heath, Brovvne firrs, any thing; the vvills aboue be done, but I vvould faine dye a dry death.
- A unit of land area one furlong (sense 1) square (ten acres, or about four hectares).
- An undefined portion of an unenclosed field.
- Synonym of stadion (“a Greek unit of distance based on standardized footraces, equivalent to about 185.4 metres”).
-
Synonym of headland (“unploughed boundary of a field”).
Similar: headland
-
Synonym of land (“the ground left unploughed between furrows”).
Similar: land
-
Synonym of land (“any of several portions into which a field is divided for ploughing”).
Similar: land
Furlong²
proper noun Furlongs
- A surname.
- An unincorporated community in Buckingham Township and Doylestown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States.
Translations
Talk about this word "furlong." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/furlong. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. furlong. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/furlong "furlong." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/furlong.Cite this
@misc{furlong_2026,
title = {furlong},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/furlong},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
