arpent
[ahr-puh nt; French ar-pahn]
- an old French unit of area equal to about one acre (0.4 hectare). It is still used in the province of Quebec and in parts of Louisiana.
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Origin of arpent
1570–80; < Middle French < Latin arepennis half-acre < Gaulish; akin to MIr airchenn unit of area
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for arpent
Historical Examples
The measurement of the arpent varied from an acre to an acre and a half.
A History of ChampagneHenry Vizetelly
In the regions of small farms, and of the mtayer system, he gets fifteen sous the arpent, eight sous and even six sous.
The Origins of Contemporary France, Volume 1 (of 6)Hippolyte A. Taine
An arpent is about one-seventh less than an acre; and a minot about one-eighth (some say one-twelfth) more than a bushel.
The Commercial Products of the Vegetable KingdomP. L. Simmonds
The corn-lands here rent for about fifteen livres the arpent.
The rents of the corn-lands, farmed for money, are about ten or twelve livres the arpent.
arpent
- a former French unit of length equal to 190 feet (approximately 58 metres)
- an old French unit of land area equal to about one acre: still used in Quebec and Louisiana
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Word Origin
C16: from Old French, probably from Late Latin arepennis half an acre, of Gaulish origin; related to Middle Irish airchenn unit of land measure
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