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 the 40 4-rod acre, or 660 modern feet. The standardization of such linear units as the yard, foot, and inchbegun in Edward I's statute of 1303recognized the traditional sizes of rods, furlongs, and acres as fixed and therefore simply redefined them in terms of the newly standardized units. Thus, the furlong, often measured as 625 northern (German) feet, became 660 standard English feet, and the mile, always 8 furlongs, became 5,280 feet. Today, the furlong is used almost exclusively in horse racing.