virgate

¹ American  

[vur-git, -geyt] / ˈvɜr gɪt, -geɪt /

adjective

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

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virgate ² American  

[vur-git, -geyt] / ˈvɜr gɪt, -geɪt /

noun

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

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virgate ¹ British  

/ ˈvɜːɡɪt, -ɡeɪt /

adjective

1. long, straight, and thin; rod-shaped

   virgate stems

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virgate ² British  

/ ˈvɜːɡɪt, -ɡeɪt /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of virgate¹

1815–25; < Latin virgātus; see virga, -ate ¹

Origin of virgate²

1645–55; < Medieval Latin virgāta ( terrae ) measure (of land), feminine of Latin virgātus pertaining to a rod; see virgate ¹; translation Old English gierd landes yard-measure of land

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

virgate

The hide appears as the ploughland with eight oxen, the virgate corresponds to one yoke of oxen, and the bovate to the single head.

From Villainage in England Essays in English Mediaeval History by Paul Vinogradoff

It is reckoned to contain thirteen hides and a half, each hide comprising six virgates, and each virgate twenty-four acres.

From Villainage in England Essays in English Mediaeval History by Paul Vinogradoff

This follows from the fact that a certain virgate mentioned in the record is equivalent only to one fourth of the yoke.

From Villainage in England Essays in English Mediaeval History by Paul Vinogradoff

Seashore 13 Panicle virgate or thyrsoid; leaves nearly entire 14–17 Heads very small in a short broad panicle; leaves nearly entire 18–20 Heads racemosely paniculate; leaves ample, the lower serrate 21–28 § 1.

From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Asa Gray

Heads small, in a narrow virgate or thyrsoid panicle; scales thin, acute; leaves nearly entire.

From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Asa Gray