F25. Furlong

This word is now used only in race courses. Its origin comes from the plodding oxen. Furlong was derived

from the phrase “furrow long”. It is the length of a furrow in a standard square field of area 10 acres.

By the 9th Century, it was regarded as the equivalent of a Roman stadium and equal to one eighth of a

Roman mile.

It has since been defined that 1 furlong = 1/8 mile = 220 yards= 660 feet= 210 meters.

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