List of obsolete units of measurement
This is a list of obsolete units of measurement. These units of measurement are typically no longer used in contemporary times. Some may be in limited use in various regions.
Obsolete units of measurement
A
- Abucco – in Pegu, Burma, this was a unit of mass used for gold and silver. It was approximately 196.44 grams or 6.316 troy ounces.[1]
- Adowlie
- Ald (unit)
- Alen (unit of length)
- Aṅgula
- Apothecaries' system
- Arab mile
- Atom (time)
- Aum (unit)
B
- Bag (unit) – a standard weight for a bag of cement was 94 pounds.[2]
- Bahar (unit)
- Bamboo (unit)
- Belshazzar (unit)
- Botella − The Spanish for "bottle", which has been given various standard capacities at different times and places, and for different fluids contained.[3] Often cited figures include 0.95 liters in Cuba (1796), 0.75 liters in Cuba (1862) and 0.7 liters in Colombia (1957).[4]
- Bucket (unit)
- Buddam (unit)
- Burmese league
- Butt(unit)
- Button (unit) – a unit of length which has been used in the UK.[2] Defined as 1/12 inch (approx. 2 mm).
C
- Cana (unit) – a unit of length used in the former Crown of Aragon.[5] It is around the same value as the vara of Aragon,[5] a seldom used Spanish and Portuguese unit of length.
- Candlepower – an obsolete unit expressing luminous intensity equal to 0.981 candela, it expresses levels of light intensity in terms of the light emitted by a candle of specific size and constituents. In modern usage candlepower equates directly to the unit known as the candela.
- Candy (unit)
- Carcel burner – an efficient lighting device used in the nineteenth century for domestic purposes and in France as the standard measure for illumination.
- Carcel
- Carucate
- Cawnie
- Chungah
- Circular inch
- Circular millimetre
- Coomb (unit)
- Cord-foot – was a US unit of volume for stacked firewood. Symbol for the unit was cd-ft.[6] 1 Cord-foot≡ 16 cubic foot,[6] 1 Cord-foot≡ 0.453 m3.
- Corgee – an obsolete unit of mass equal to 212 moodahs, or rush mat bundles of rice. The unit was used in the Canara (now Kanara) region of Karnataka in India.
- Cottah
- Cran (unit)
- Cubit [7]
- Cullingey
- Cullishigay
D
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These are glass milk bottles from 1950s Quebec. The large bottle is a pinte (quart), the middle size a chopine (pint) and the small size a demiard (½-pint).[8] The latter was used for cream.
- Deal (unit) – a former U.K. and U.S. unit of volume for stacked firewood.[2] Deal (UK) is equal to 7 ft × 6 ft × 5/2 in.[2] Deal (US) is equal to 12 ft × 11 in × 3/2 in.[2]
- Decimal (unit)
- Delisle scale
- Demiard – a traditional French measure of volume which, after the French revolution introduced new decimal systems, persisted in French-speaking areas of North America such as Quebec and Louisiana. It was originally half of an ard but came to mean a half of a chopine or a quarter of a pinte. The French pinte was, in Paris, 48 cubic inches (pouces du Roi) but, in North America, the terms became associated with Anglo-Saxon measures of a similar size (pinte≡quart; chopine≡pint; demiard≡½-pint).[9]
- Dessiatin
- Dharni (unit)
- Dimi (metric prefix) – a discontinued non-SI metric prefix for 10−4.[10]
- Dutch cask
E
F
G
H
A Hefner lamp (German: Hefnerkerze)
- Hat'h
- Hefner candle
- Hekat (unit)
- Hide (unit)
- Hobbit (unit)
- Homer (unit)
- House cord – a former U.S. unit of volume for stacked firewood.[6]
J
K
- Katha (unit)
- Keel (unit) – a UK unit of weight for coal.[11] 1 Keel ≡ 21540.19446656 kg.[11] 1 keel = 47488 pounds.[11]
- Koku
- Kopa (number)
- Kula (unit)
L
- Lachter – a formerly common unit of length used in the mining industry in Europe, usually to measure depth, tunnel driving and the size of mining fields; it was also used for contract work. In most German-speaking mining fields it was the most important unit of length.
- Lacta – a non-SI, obsolete metric prefix (Symbol: L) for 105.[2]
- Lambda (unit)
- Large sack
- Last (unit)
- League (unit)
- Leiden scale
- Lessa (unit)
- Ligne
- Line (unit)
- London quarter
- Long ton
- Lot (unit)
- Loukhai
- Lourak
- Loushal
- Lump of butter – used in the United States (at least) up to the time of the American Revolutionary War, it equaled "one well rounded tablespoon".[12]
M
- Macedonian cubit
- Mache (unit)
- Marabba
- Mark (unit)
- Masu (measurement)
- Mesures usuelles
- Metretes
- Micri – a non-SI, discontinued metric prefix for 10−14 (one one-hundred trillionth). Its symbol is mc.[13] The name micri-erg was proposed in 1922 by Harkins as a unit of energy equating to 10−14 erg.[14][15] This was proposed as a way to measure the surface energy of molecules.[14] A micri-erg has been described as one-millionth the quantity of an erg.[16]
- Morgen
- Munjandie
N
- Newton scale – a temperature scale devised by Isaac Newton in 1701.[17]
O
- Ocean-ton
- Octave (unit)
- Omer (unit)
- Oxgang
P
- Palm (unit)
- Pao (unit)
- Parasang
- Pari (unit)
- Passeree
- Pau (unit)
- Peck
- Pennyweight
- Perch (unit)
- Pièze
- Poncelet
- Pood
- Puddee
- Pyramid inch
R
- Réaumur scale
- Rod (unit)
- Roll – a UK unit of weight for butter and cheese.[2] 1 roll = 24 ounces / approx. 0.68 kg.[6]
- Room – a UK united for weight of coal, equivalent to 15680 pounds[6]
- Decuriae
- Rømer scale
- Rood (unit)
S
- Salt spoon – used in the United States (at least) up to the time of the American Revolutionary War. Four salt spoons equalled one teaspoon.[12]
- Sana lamjel
- Sarpler
- Saundaungs
- Schoenus
- Seah (unit)
- Seam (unit)
- Seer (unit)
- Ser (unit)
- Shackle (unit)
- Ship load
- Spat (unit)
- Stadion (unit of length)
- Sthène
- Stone (unit)
- Stuck (unit)
T
- Talent (measurement)
- Tank (unit)
- Tathe
- Technical atmosphere
- Tod (unit)
- Toise
- Truss (unit) – a tight bundle of hay or straw. It would usually be cuboid, for storage or shipping, and would either be harvested into such bundles or cut from a large rick.
- Tub (unit)
- Turn per inch
U
V
- Violle
- Virgate
W
- Wedgwood scale
- Wey, Load
- Wey (unit)
- Whey (unit)
- Winchester measure
- Wineglass – used in the United States (at least) up to the time of the American Revolutionary War, one wineglass equaled 1/4 cup, and four wineglasses equaled one cup.[12]
Y
- Yojana – a Vedic measure of distance that was used in ancient India. It is equivalent to about 13 km (8 mi) for terrestrial use and 6400 km for cosmological distances as per modern measures of distance, although the exact value is disputed among scholars (between 8 and 13 km (5 and 8 mi))
Z
Ancient Roman units of measurement
Main article: Ancient Roman units of measurement
See also: Roman timekeeping
- Acetabulum (unit)
- Amphora (unit)
- Congius
- Cotyla
- Duella
- Gradus (unit)
- Jugerum
- Pace (unit)
- Pes (unit)
- Quinaria
- Roman timekeeping
- Scrupulum
- Uncia (unit)
Ottoman units of measurement
Main article: Ottoman units of measurement
See also
By geography
- Ancient Arabic units of measurement
- Ancient Egyptian units of measurement
- Ancient Greek units of measurement
- Ancient Mesopotamian units of measurement
- Danish units of measurement
- Finnish obsolete units of measurement
- German obsolete units of measurement
- History of measurement systems in India
- Japanese units of measurement
- List of customary units of measurement in South Asia
- Maltese units of measurement
- Obsolete Polish units of measurement
- Obsolete Russian units of measurement
- Obsolete Scottish units of measurement
- Obsolete Tatar units of measurement
- Old Cornish units of measurement
- Old Irish units of measurement
- Ottoman units of measurement
- Persian units of measurement
- Portuguese customary units
- Spanish customary units
- Tamil units of measurement
References
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- ↑ Kisch, Bruno (1965). Scales and Weights. Original from the University of California: Yale University Press. p. 237.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Cardarelli, François Cradarelli (2003). Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures. London: Springer. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-4471-1122-1.
- ↑ sizes.com lists figures for bottles in Bolivia from 460 ml to 1 liter.
- ↑ McCusker, John (2005). Essays in the Economic History of the Atlantic World. Routledge. p. 63. ISBN 1134703406.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gilbert, E.W.; Beckinsale, R.P. (1944). Spain & Portugal: Spain. Its Geographical handbook series. Naval Intelligence Division. Retrieved February 15, 2015. Quote: "Catalonia has its own units, the media cana (length) being approximately of the same value as the varas of Aragon".
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Cardarelli, F. (2003). Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures. Their SI Equivalences and Origins. London: Springer. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-4471-1122-1.
- ↑ Hoong, Tho Lai; Yi, Tho Mun. Interactive Science For Inquiring Minds Volume A. Panpac Education Pte Ltd. p. 33. ISBN 9812716181.
- ↑ Marcel Trudel, Introduction to New France, p. 222
- ↑ Cardarelli, François (2003), Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures, London: Springer, p. 34, ISBN 978-1-4471-1122-1
- ↑ Cardarelli, François (2003). Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures. Springer-Verlag London Ltd. p. 17. ISBN 9781852336820.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Cardarelli, François Cradarelli (2003). Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures. London: Springer. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-4471-1122-1.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Pelton, Robert W.; Pelton, W. Pelton (2004). Baking Recipes of Our Founding Fathers. Infinity Publishing. pp. 263–264. ISBN 0741419440.
- ↑ Cardarelli, François (2003). Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures. Springer-Verlag London Ltd. ISBN 879-1-4471-1122-1
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Jerrard, H. G.; McNeill, D. B. (February 5, 2015). "A Dictionary of Scientific Units". Google Books. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ↑ Colloid Symposium Monograph (in French) (v. 2). 1925. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ↑ Society, American Chemical (1922). Journal of the American Chemical Society (v. 44). American Chemical Society. p. 665. ISSN 0002-7863. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
- ↑ published anonymously as "Scala graduum Caloris. Calorum Descriptiones & signa." in Philosophical Transactions, 1701, 824–829; ed. Joannes Nichols, Isaaci Newtoni Opera quae exstant omnia, vol. 4 (1782), 403–407. Mark P. Silverman, A Universe of Atoms, An Atom in the Universe, Springer, 2002, p. 49.
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