Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Gunter's chain

Gunter's chain

9.9
A historical length for measuring land equal to 22 yards
  • noun
  • /ˈɡʌntərz tʃeɪn/
  • Archaic
translation icon : cadena de Gunter
  • A standard Gunter's chain measures 22 yards.

Examples

  • The field was recorded as four Gunter's chains long by two chains wide.

  • Early surveyors often measured land using a Gunter's chain and not modern tape measures.

  • A distance of one Gunter's chain was marked out by placing brass links end to end.

  • The surveyor used a Gunter's chain for the measurements.

  • The surveyor used a Gunter's chain to accurately measure the length of the property.

  • Each Gunter's chain consists of 100 links, making it useful for land surveying.

  • When surveying the land, the team stretched out a Gunter's chain to determine the boundaries.

Synonyms

chain
vsGunter's chain
  • Archaic
17 8.2

A unit of length equal to 66 feet used in land measurement

is older and historical rather than still commonly used

Surface Forms

Gunter's chain singular
Gunter's chains plural

Morphology

Gunter's + chain

The meaning 'a historical unit of length (22 yards)' is not transparently derivable from the constituents: 'Gunter's' is a proper name and gives no semantic clue to the measure, and while 'chain' can sometimes mean a measuring device, the specific unit and exact length are specialized and historical. An average B1 learner who knows the words would not predict the precise measurement or technical sense without prior exposure, so the expression is idiomatic/specialized rather than compositional.

Etymology

Gunter's chain was a real metal chain with 100 brass links that people who measured land laid end to end to mark distances. Because the chain always measured the same distance of 22 yards, the name came to mean 'a unit of length' used for measuring land.