arpent
9.9
Old French measure of land about the size of an acre used in parts of Canada and Louisiana
- noun
- /ɑrˈpɛnt/
- Archaic
:
arpent
- Early settlers measured their farms in arpents, following the old French tradition.
Examples
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One arpent is roughly equal to an acre.
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The land grant was described as twenty arpents wide and forty deep.
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He owns several arpents of fertile land along the river.
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The farmer owns five arpents of land.
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Farmers often assess the size of their plots in arpents, which is a traditional unit of area.
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He purchased two arpents of land to expand his agricultural business.
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In parts of Louisiana, land is still measured in arpents, reflecting the region's French heritage.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Arpent comes from an old French verb arpenter that meant 'to measure' land with a long rod, and over time the name became a unit for how much land you had. So an arpent is like an acre and that is why settlers used it to describe the size of farms.
