vara

[ vahr-uh; Spanish vah-rah; Portuguese vah-ruh ]

noun,plural va·ras [vahr-uhz; Spanish vah-rahs; Portuguese vah-ruhsh]. /ˈvɑr əz; Spanish ˈvɑ rɑs; Portuguese ˈvɑ rəʃ/.
  1. a unit of length in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries, varying from about 32 inches (81 centimeters) to about 43 inches (109 centimeters).

  2. the square vara, used as a unit of area.

Origin of vara

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Spanish, from Latin vāra “forked pole,” noun use of feminine of vārus “crooked, bent”

Words Nearby vara

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How to use vara in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vara

vara

/ (ˈvɑːrə) /


noun
  1. a unit of length used in Spain, Portugal, and South America and having different values in different localities, usually between 32 and 43 inches (about 80 to 108 centimetres)

Origin of vara

1
C17: via Spanish from Latin: wooden trestle, from vārus crooked

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