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Glite Dictionary
long measure

long measure

5.0
A set of units used mainly in Britain for measuring length, like inches, feet, and miles
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : medida larga
  • Unlike liquid measure, long measure is used for calculating length rather than volume.

Examples

  • In the UK, long measure includes units like feet and miles for measuring land.

  • A yard is a common unit in the imperial long measure system.

  • The surveyor used long measure to determine the total distance between the two points.

  • A long measure is useful for builders.

  • How do you convert long measures to metric?

  • The surveyor used long measure to calculate the distance from the building site to the road.

  • When shopping for lumber, it's important to understand long measure units like inches and yards.

Surface Forms

long measure singular
long measures plural

Morphology

long + measure

The noun phrase transparently combines 'long' (relating to length) with 'measure' (a system or unit of measurement), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to measures of length (inches, feet, yards, miles). This adjective+noun composition mirrors cross-linguistic expressions like 'measure of length' and is therefore directly predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Long measure comes from the simple idea of measuring long things with long tools: people would stretch a rod or rope to mark inches, feet, yards and miles. That's why long measure means a way of measuring 'length', not 'volume' or 'weight'.