Forms: 1 furlang, -ung, 2 -eng, 3–5 fur(e)lang(e, 4 ferlong, fourlonge, 4–5 for(e)lang(e, 4–6 -long(e, 4–5 fur(e)longe, 4– furlong. Pl. 4–5 for-, furlong. [OE. furlang str. neut., f. furh, FURROW + lang, LONG a.]
1. Originally, the length of the furrow in the common field, which was theoretically regarded as a square containing ten acres. As a lineal measure, the furlong therefore varied according to the extent assigned at various times and places to the ACRE, but was usually understood to be equal to 40 poles (rods, perches). As early as the 9th c. it was regarded as the equivalent of the Roman stadium, which was 1/8 of a Roman mile; and hence furlong has always been used as a name for the eighth part of an English mile, whether this coincided with the agricultural measure so called or not. The present statute furlong is 220 yards, and is equal both to the eighth part of a statute mile, and to the side of a square of 10 statute acres.
a. as a measure in current use. (Early examples are wanting.)
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 6693. .V. forlong he dede hem recoile.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. V. 5. Er I hadde faren a fourlonge feyntise me hente.
14[?]. Sir Beues, 752 (MS. M.). Ther was no hors in the world so stronge That myght ffolowe hym a fur longe.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 3856. A foure furelange or fyue it was of full brede.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, IX. xi. Thenne he … departed his waye a furlonge.
1559. W. Cunningham, Cosmogr. Glasse, 56. There is also diversitie what a Furlong should conteine in length, & it should appeare that Ptolomaeus, Strabo, & Plinius, do not agree herin.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., x. 48. Fifteene furlongs, that is, a mile and 7/8 parts.
1653. Walton, Angler, v. 128. For Gesner observes, the Otter smels a fish forty furlong off him in the water.
1703. Maundrell, Journ. Jerus. (1732), 15. About two furlongs out of Town.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., s.v., In Scotland the furlong is equal to forty falls.
1789. G. White, Selborne, xvi. (1853), 68. This noise may be heard a furlong or more.
1814. Scott, Ld. of Isles, VI. xxix. The fresh and desperate onset bore The foes three furlongs back.
1847. Emerson, Poems, Monadnoc, 322.
| His day’s ride is a furlong space, | |
| His city-tops a glimmering haze. |
b. Antiq. as a rendering of L. stadium or Gr. στάδιον.
c. 900. trans. Bæda’s Hist., I. xxv. (1890), 56. Se is þreora furlunga brad.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Luke xxiv. 13. Syxtiȝ furlanga fram hierusalem.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 1030. Twelue [thousand] forlonge space er euer hit fon.
1382. Wyclif, Luke xxiv. 13. A castel, that was fro Jerusalem in space of sixty furlongis.
1550. Bale, Image Both Ch., III. xxi. H h iij. A furlonge is the eyght parte of a myle and contayneth a hundreth and xxv. paces, which is in length vi. hundreth and xxv. fote.
1625–35. N. Carpenter, Geog. Del., I. viii. (ed. 2), 195. A Furlong contains according to Herodotus 600 feet.
1760. Fawkes, Hero & Leander, 23, note. The narrowest Part of the Channel is about seven Stadia, or Furlongs.
† c. Furlong way: a short distance, hence the time taken in walking this, a brief space. Obs.
c. 1384. Chaucer, H. Fame, III. 974. Or hyt a forlonge way was olde. Ibid. (c. 1386), Miller’s T., 451. They sitten stille wel a furlong way.
c. 1450. Two Cookery-bks., II. 91. Þenne take hem downe … and lete stonde a forlonge wey or ij.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, V. v. I had leuer … that I hadde ben a forlonge way to fore hym.
† 2. Used (on the analogy of 1 b) to render L. stadium in the sense of ‘the course for foot-races.’ (Chiefly fig.) Obs.
The course for runners at Olympia was a stadium in length; hence the use of στάδιον, stadium in this sense.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., IV. pr. iii. 93 (Camb. MS.). Yif a man renneþ in the stadie or in the forlong for the corone.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. II. 258. Þei þat rennen in þe ferlong for þe pris.
1450–1530. Myrr. our Ladye, 328. After the forlonge of thys presente lyfe.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (1531), 62 b. For every relygyous persone sholde renne in the forelonge of perfeccyon.
3. An area of land a ‘furlong’ each way, containing ten acres.
1819. Rees, Cycl., s.v., The furlong as a superficial measure, is generally 10 acres, according to the acre of different counties.
† b. The eighth part of an acre. Obs.–0
Perh. only a blunder of Minsheu.
1617. Minsheu, Ductor, Furlong … is otherwise the eight part of an acre.
1656–81. in Blount, Glossogr.
4. The headland of a common field. Obs. exc. dial.
854[?]. Charter of Æthelwolf of Wessex, in Cod. Dipl., V. 111. Of twelf ækeran ut forð bufon scortan hlince æt ðæs furlanges ende.
1649. Blithe, Eng. Improv. Impr. (1652), 10. One Furlong butting or Had-landing, upon other Furlongs, makes such a stoppage of the free passage of the water.
1877. N. W. Linc. Gloss., Furlong, the road or boundary upon which the separate lots abut in an ‘open field,’ or piece of unenclosed ground divided into several occupations.
5. An indefinite division of an unenclosed field.
12[?]. Newminster Cartul. (1878), 122. Usque ad Gauelok furlang.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. V. 424. I can fynde in a felde or in a fourlonge an hare.
1438. Nottingham Rec., II. 170. Quinta acra jacet super eundem furlong. [But is this 4?]
1523. Fitzherb., Surv., 38 b. At a furlong called Dale furlong ye whiche furlong conteyneth .xxx. landes and two heed landes.
1637. Harrison, in Sheffield Gloss., A piece of land enclosed lying in furlongs.
1710. Will, in Stonehouse, Axholme (1839), 302. Two selions of land containing one acre, lying in a furlong called Foxholes.
a. 1825. Forby, Voc. E. Anglia, Furlong, a division of an uninclosed cornfield.
1854. Miss Baker, Northampt. Gloss., Furlong, an indefinite number of lands or leys, running parallel to each other.
6. = LAND. (See quot. 1893.) Obs. exc. dial.
1660. Sharrock, Vegetables, 97. This Land must be cast into Furlongs, that the Furrows may convey the Water one to another into a general Trench, that it lie not upon the Land.
1893. Wiltsh. Gloss., Furlong … the strip of newly-ploughed land lying between two main furrows.
7. ‘The line of direction of plowed lands’ (Marshall).
1787. W. Marshall, Norfolk, I. (1795), 131. Endeavouring to lay their ‘furlongs’ north-and-south, that the sun may have an equal influence on either side the narrow ridges.
