What is the acre (a unit of land measurement) based upon?

The acre is a unit used to measure land area in both the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as an area of 43,560 square feet (approximately 4,047 m2, or about 40% of a hectare).

The word ‘acre’ itself is derived from the Old English word ‘æcer’ (originally meaning ‘open field’) which in turn came from the Latin word ‘ager’, which also meant ‘field’. The word is fitting because the acre was originally created to be equivalent to the area of land in a field that could be plowed by a team of oxen, in one day.

While the amount of land, or acreage, that modern humans can plow in one day has exponentially increased, the name stuck for this particular moderately sized piece of land as a unit of measurement.

More Info: en.m.wikipedia.org

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31 Comments

Mike Stapley

Traditionally, in the Middle Ages, an acre was conceived of as the area of land that could be ploughed by one man behind one ox in one day not 8

Blairly21

I disagree, one ox could plough an acre in one say. Any farmer who has plowed the old way could tell you this. Being from a farm, this is something I know for sure, so 8 oxen could essentially cover 8 acres in a day, given the right circumstances. Again, check your facts.

Julie Allen

Britannica - Derived from Middle English aker (from Old English aecer) and akin to Latin ager (“field”), the acre had one origin in the typical area that could be plowed in one day with a yoke of oxen pulling a wooden plow. The Anglo-Saxon acre was defined as a strip of land 1 × 1/10 furlong, or 40 × 4 rods (660 × 66 feet). Wiki - Traditionally, in the Middle Ages, an acre was conceived of as the area of land that could be ploughed by one man behind one ox in one day. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains,

Brian Reynolds

Eight oxen to plough only one acre in a day? They must be on three legs or perhaps going in reverse

Char

Mike Stapley, OK now that makes sense..

Al Breyette

Once again a wrong answer here. It is one ox not eight oxen. This is happening way to often here lately with incorrect answers being given or questions that are ambiguous.

marilynmitri

How many of you actually knew about furlongs and chains before you looked it up?

brezza marina

Deborah Ingram, thanks for the info

brezza marina

Thanks, for the info, overlooking the 8 oxen mistake.

mstanner

So I guessed wrong. Thought 8 oxen was ridiculous...what old farmer had 8 oxen??

Deborah Ingram

An acre was the amount of land tillable by one man behind one ox in one day. [1 TO 1] Traditional acres were long and narrow due to the difficulty in turning the plough and the value of river front access. An oxgang was the amount of land tillable by one ox in a ploughing season. This could vary from village to village, but was typically around 15 acres. A virgate was the amount of land tillable by two oxen in a ploughing season. [1 TO 2] A carucate was the amount of land tillable by a team of eight oxen in a ploughing season. This was equal to 8 oxgangs or 4 virgates. [1 TO 8]

Dianne Adams

Thought it was 1 chain (22 yds) by 100 yards of land peasant farmers were allocated by the Lord of the Manor. The area was based on how much a man could work on his own. Few owned work animals.