arpent

[ahr-puh nt; French ar-pahn]

noun, plural ar·pents

[ahr-puh nts; French ar-pahn] /ˈɑr pənts; French arˈpɑ̃/.

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.

Origin of arpent

1570–80; < Middle French < Latin arepennis half-acre < Gaulish; akin to MIr airchenn unit of area

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for arpent

Historical Examples of arpent

The measurement of the arpent varied from an acre to an acre and a half.
A History of Champagne
Henry 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 Kingdom
P. L. Simmonds
The corn-lands here rent for about fifteen livres the arpent.
Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
The rents of the corn-lands, farmed for money, are about ten or twelve livres the arpent.
Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson

British Dictionary definitions for arpent

arpent

noun

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

Word Origin for arpent

C16: from Old French, probably from Late Latin arepennis half an acre, of Gaulish origin; related to Middle Irish airchenn unit of land measure

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012