YARD

In length, 3 feet or 36 inches or, metrically, 86.44 centimeters. The yard, along with the foot and inch, are English creations to which the USA has stubbornly clung. The yard was originally a unit of measurement of land and was about 5 meters (now termed a rod). In the 14th century, the yard emerged as 3 feet, about the length of a riding stick or sword.