Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

furlong

/ˈfɝˌlɔŋ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.80 in modern English

Syllables: fur-long
IPA: /ˈfɝˌlɔŋ/

11

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A unit of distance equal to one-eighth of a mile (220 yards, or 201.168 metres), now mainly used in measuring distances in farmland and horse racing.

noun

A unit of land area one furlong (sense 1) square (ten acres, or about four hectares).

Dated

noun

An undefined portion of an unenclosed field.

British usage; Dated

noun

Synonym of stadion (“a Greek unit of distance based on standardized footraces, equivalent to about 185.4 metres”).

noun

Synonym of headland (“unploughed boundary of a field”).

noun

Synonym of land (“the ground left unploughed between furrows”).

noun

Synonym of land (“any of several portions into which a field is divided for ploughing”).

name

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Novv vvould I giue a thouſand furlongs of Sea, for an Acre of barren ground: Long heath, Brovvne firrs, any thing; the vvills aboue be done, but I vvould faine dye a dry death."
"And the winepreſſe vvas troden vvithout the citie, and blood came out of the vvinepreſſe, euen vnto the horſe bridles, by the ſpace of a thouſand and ſixe hundred furlongs."
"[T]he Otter ſmels a fiſh forty furlong off him in the water; […]"
"[N]ovv before he had gone far, he entered into a very narrovv paſſage, vvhich vvas about a furlong off the Porters Lodge, and looking very narrovvly before him as he vvent, he eſpied tvvo Lions in the vvay."
"The fresh and desperate onset bore / The foes three furlongs back and more, / Leaving their noblest in their gore."
"At first some intervening icebergs prevented Captain Warrens from distinctly seeing any thing except her masts but he was struck with the strange manner in which her sails were disposed, and with the dismantled aspect of her yards and rigging. She continued to go before the wind for a few furlongs, and then grounding upon the low icebergs, remained motionless."

Etymology

PIE word *dlongʰos From Middle English furlong, forlong (“unit of distance about one-eighth of a mile; quantity of land equal to one square furlong; racetrack for foot races; foot race”) [and other forms], from Old English furlang, furlung, from furh (“a furrow”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- (“to dig; to open; to rip up”) + lang (“long”, adjective) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dlongʰos (“long”)), originally the typical length of a furrow in an average field.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *perḱ-, furlong, furlang, *dlongʰos

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈfɝˌlɔŋ/
British English: /ˈfɜːlɒŋ/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in People.

Inflected Forms

furlongs (plural) forlong (alternative)

Synonyms

stade stadium stadion headland land

Questions

How do you pronounce furlong?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfɝˌlɔŋ/.
What does furlong mean?: A unit of distance equal to one-eighth of a mile (220 yards, or 201.168 metres), now mainly used in measuring distances in farmland and horse racing.
Where does furlong come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce furlong

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “furlong”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈfɝˌlɔŋ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “furlong”.
Repeat and practice — Say “furlong” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.