Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of various French units of land measurement, especially one used in parts of Canada and the southern United States and equal to about 0.4 hectare (0.85 acre).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An old French measure for land. By a royal edict of 1669, it must contain 100 perches of 22 feet each (linearly), or 48,400 square feet. This was called the arpent royal, arpent d'ordonnance, or arpent des eaux et forêts. The common arpent had 40,000 square feet, the arpent of Paris 32,400, these being based on perches of 20 and 18 feet. The following are the areas in ares: arpent of Paris, 34.1887; common arpent, 42.2083; royal arpent, 51.0720; English acre, 40.4678. The arpent is still used in Louisiana, and in the province of Quebec. Formerly also arpen, arpine.
Wiktionary
- n. A unit of length, having various official measures
- n. A unit of area, having various official measures
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Formerly, a measure of land in France, varying in different parts of the country. The
arpent of Paris was 4,088 sq. yards, or nearly five sixths of an English acre. Thewoodland arpent was about 1 acre, 1 rood, 1 perch, English.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a former French unit of area; equal approximately to an acre
Etymologies
- From French, from Late Latin *arepennis (“surface of a field”), from Gaulish *are-penno- (“end, extremity of a field”). (Wiktionary)
- French, from Old French, from Latin arepennis, half acre; see per1 in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The arpent is the old French measure that is approximately one acre in size.”
“The portage was said to be only fifty acres long (the arpent is the popular measure of distance here), but it passed over a ridge of newly burned land, and was so entangled with ruined woods and desolate of birds and flowers that it seemed to us at least five miles.”
“The arpent was the standard unit of area in the Creole parishes of Louisiana, the acre in the parishes of Anglo-American settlement.] [Footnote 34: Calvin D. Wilson, "Black Masters," in the _North American”
“He could keep his fish, but had to fell and cut four arpents of trees an arpent is 0.85 percent of an acre over the next year and live on the place as well.”
“They was sold for ten dollars an arpent back in the twenties.”
“Paysan sautant sur son petit arpent" (1947) takes its inspiration from the graffiti found on Parisian walls.”
The Wall Street Journal: James Turrell's Skyspace Offers a Meditation on Light and Time
“This was the linear arpent, as distinct from the arpent superficiel, a measure of area, below.”
“We found domain buildings and a yard surrounded by a hedge and within 3 barns, 1 arpent of vines, 1 garden with trees, 15 geese, 20 chickens.”
“The habitant paid usually in _cens et rentes_ twenty sols (about twenty cents) for each arpent (192 feet) of frontage; instead of cash usually he might pay in kind -- a live capon or a small measure (demi-minot) of grain for each arpent.”
A Canadian Manor and Its Seigneurs The Story of a Hundred Years, 1761-1861
“An arpent is about one-seventh less than an acre; and a minot about one-eighth (some say one-twelfth) more than a bushel.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘arpent’.
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Rare Words - A
Not just rare words, but thousands of RARE WORDS WITH DEFINITIONS.
If you want to see the definitions, too, go to
http://phrontistery.i...aba, abacinate, abactor, abaculus, abaft, abampere, abapical, abarticular, abasement, abasia, abask, abatis and 1214 more...
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phrontistery - a
from phrontistery.info
axilla, avalement, argil, argent, argand, arete, aretaics, areometer, areology, arenoid, arenaceous, arefy and 1214 more...
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LOOMINGS
List of difficult words (for Italian language translation) of the writer Herman Melville.
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for words
based upon per- indo-european root
turnverein, veer, frump, far, per, paramount, paramour, parget, parterre, parvenu, perissodactyl, palanquin and 133 more...
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The Measure of Man
Unusual, arcane, or obscure units of measure
cable, cabot, bushel, cade, caliper, callipic cycle, metonic cycle, cunit, air watt, ale gallon, allergy unit, amber and 228 more...
Tweets
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reesetee Any of various French units of land measurement, especially one used in parts of Canada and the southern United States and equal to about 0.4 hectare (0.85 acre). Jul 10, 2008