Guz

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For the place nicknamed Guz, see HMNB Devonport.

A guz (Persian: گز, Hindi: गज}), also written as gaz, guzz, guj or gudge, is a unit of length used in parts of Asia. Historically, it was a regionally variable measurement, similar to the English yard both in size and in that it was often used for measuring textiles. Values of the guz ranged from 24 inches to 41 inches over time. Today, it is generally used in the Indian subcontinent as the word for a "yard". A present day sari is still measured as 7 guj while a traditional one can be as long as 9 guj.

India and Pakistan

Use of the guz in India was first established during the Mughal Empire. The guz in Rajasthan at the end of the 17th century was quoted as being 28½ inches.[1] By 1875, the average value of the guz in Bengal was 36 inches (that is, one yard), but was 33 inches in Madras and 27 inches in Bombay.[1][2]

By the 20th century, the guz was uniformly quoted as being equal in length to one yard in the English system, or 0.91 metres in the Metric system.

The guz is still commonly used in the Indian subcontinent. It has become the standard word in Hindi and Urdu for "yard".[3]

Arabia

  • In Arabia it varied between 27 and 37 inches (685 to 940 mm).[4]

Nepal

  • In Nepal, 1 guz was 1 yard (0.9144 m) in the 20th century.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Guz", A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles 4, 1900, p. 525 
  2. ↑ Bedford, Frederick George D. (1875), The sailor's pocket book: A Collection of Practical Rules, Notes and Tables, p. 323 .
  3. ↑ Real Estate Consultancy Agency
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Guz", Sizes, grades, units, scales, calendars, chronologies (Sizes, Inc.), 2008, retrieved 2007-01-20 

Further reading

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