vara

American  

[vahr-uh, vah-rah, vah-ruh] / ˈvɑr ə, ˈvɑ rɑ, ˈvɑ rə /

noun

varas plural

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.

---

vara British  

/ 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)

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• varas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of vara

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vara varas

When you put it all together, “en vara asado” sounds a lot like “embarazado.”

From New York Times ● Jul. 29, 2021

"The young leddy says na mair than the fact; they're vara poor, and they 're vara dangerous!"

From The Martins Of Cro' Martin, Vol. I (of II) by Lever, Charles James

See Individual JointsConus medullaris, injuries of, 419Coracoid process, fracture of, 69 separation of epiphysis of, 70Coronoid process, fracture of, 87Coxa valga, 256, 261 vara, 136, 256, 257Cranial nerves, affections of, 398.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander

Farm produce is generally sold by the arroba or fanega; the vara is used in lineal measurement, and the cuadra is used by country people in land measurement.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 2 "Chicago, University of" to "Chiton" by Various

I was vara leetl—a child; and it was long ago.

From A Castle in Spain A Novel by De Mille, James

Then Driscoll invested in a number of varas of calico print.

From The Missourian by Lyle, Eugene P. (Eugene Percy)

Good pieces of damask, seven taes; a piece contains fourteen varas.

From The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 19 of 55 1620-1621 Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century. by Robertson, James Alexander

The water rose about one and one-half varas.

From Colonial Expeditions to the Interior of California Central Valley, 1800-1820 Anthropological Records 16(6):239-292, 1958 by Cook, Sherburne Friend

I bought a small piece of linen of fourteen or fifteen varas for four reals.

From The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 23 of 55 1629-30 Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century. by Robertson, James Alexander

But John worked hard, bought varas in San Francisco whenever he had any spare cash, supplied almost the entire State with olives and olive-oil, and in time became a rich man.

From The Bell in the Fog and Other Stories by Atherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn