virgate

[vur-git, -geyt]

adjective

shaped like a rod or wand; long, slender, and straight.

Origin of virgate

1815–25; < Latin virgātus; see virga, -ate¹

virgate

[vur-git, -geyt]

noun

an early English measure of land of varying extent, usually considered equivalent to a quarter of a hide, or about 30 acres (12 hectares).

Origin of virgate

1645–55; < Medieval Latin virgāta (terrae) measure (of land), feminine of Latin virgātus pertaining to a rod; see virgate¹; translation Old English gierd landes yard-measure of land

Also called yardland.

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

Examples from the Web for virgate

Historical Examples of virgate

The heriot of a virgate was generally an ox, or money payment of its value.
The Enclosures in England
Harriett Bradley
But the term 'virgate' does not, like them, speak for itself.
Feudal England -- Historical Studies On The Eleventh And Twelfth Centuries
J.H. Round
Is it right to assume that this virgate may be taken as a pattern of the rest?
The English Village Community
Frederic Seebohm
The virgate or yard-land was the normal holding, as it was afterwards.
The English Village Community
Frederic Seebohm
The word 'virgate,' or 'virgada,' was used in Brittany as well as in England.
The English Village Community
Frederic Seebohm

British Dictionary definitions for virgate

virgate

adjective

long, straight, and thin; rod-shapedvirgate stems

Word Origin for virgate

C19: from Latin virgātus made of twigs, from virga a rod

virgate

noun

British an obsolete measure of land area, usually taken as equivalent to 30 acres

Word Origin for virgate

C17: from Medieval Latin virgāta (terrae) a rod's measurement (of land), from Latin virga rod; the phrase is a translation of Old English gierd landes a yard of land

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