/ ˈfɜːlɒŋ; NAmE ˈfɜːrlɔːŋ/ noun
( especially in horse racing ) a unit for measuring distance, equal to 220 yards or 201 metres; one eighth of a mile
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English furlang , from furh furrow + lang long . The word originally denoted the length of a furrow in a common field (formally regarded as a square of ten acres). It was also used as the equivalent of the Roman stadium , one eighth of a Roman mile, which led to the current sense. Compare with stadium .