English
furlong
Furlong comes from Middle English furlong ‘unit of distance about one-eighth of a mile’, from Old English furh ‘a furrow’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- ‘to dig’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perḱ-‘to dig’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*furhsreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*furhreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150furh‘a furrow’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150furlang
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500furlong‘unit of distance about one-eighth of a mile’
- Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perḱ-‘to dig’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*furhsreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*furhreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150furh‘a furrow’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150furlang
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500furlong‘unit of distance about one-eighth of a mile’
- Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611same form
Earliest quotation: 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest: “Novv vvould I giue a thouſand furlongs of Sea,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- ‘to dig’
pork, porcelain, perch, farrow, porpoise, porcine, porcini, 11 more
through Old English furh ‘a furrow’
Today it means
noun A unit of distance equal to one-eighth of a mile (220 yards, or 201.168 metres), now mainly used in measuring distances in farmland and horse racing.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- / furlong