This is a list of obsolete units of measurement, organized by type. These
units of measurement are typically no longer used, though some may be in limited use in various regions. For units of measurement that are unusual but not necessarily obsolete, see
List of unusual units of measurement. For units of measurement that are humorous in nature, see
List of humorous units of measurement.
Cana – a
unit of length used in the former
Crown of Aragon, at least in Catalonia. It is around the same value as the vara of Aragon, Spain, and Portugal.[3]
Lachter – a unit of length once used in the
mining industry in most of Europe. It was usually used to measure depth, tunnel driving and the size of mining fields; it was also used for contract work. In mining in the German-speaking countries, it was the primary unit of length.
Ligne – a French unit of length, roughly equal to 2.25 mm (0.089 in), or 9 points
Yojana – a
Vedic measure of distance used in ancient
India. Its value was about 10 km (6.2 mi), although the exact value is disputed among scholars (between 8 and 13 km or 5 and 8 mi)
Luminosity
Carcel burner – an efficient lighting device used in the nineteenth century for domestic purposes and in France as the standard measure for
illumination
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.
Truss – a unit of mass used to describe 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.
Botella −
Spanish for "bottle", which has been given various standard capacities at different times and places, and for different fluids.[12] Often-cited figures include 0.95
liters in
Cuba (1796), 0.75 liters in Cuba (1862) and 0.7 liters in Colombia (1957).[13]
Deal – a former
U.K. and
U.S. unit of volume for stacked firewood.[7] A U.K. deal equaled 7 ft × 6 ft × 2+1⁄2 in, while a U.S. deal equaled 12 ft × 11 in × 1+1⁄2 in.[7]
Quibi – a unit of time equal to 10 minutes. First used in Quibi's own
Super Bowl LIII advertising campaign, this word saw small amounts of ironic adoption.
Sack – originally a medieval unit of mass, equal to 26
stone (364 pounds, or about 165 kg). Since a unit of
dry volume, equal to 24
imperial gallons (about 109 liters).
^Kisch, Bruno (1965).
Scales and Weights. Original from the University of California: Yale University Press. p. 237.
^ William Parry, Louis Albert Fischer,State and National Laws Concerning the Weights and Measures of the United StatesUnited States National Bureau of Standards, 1912 p. 414
Encyclopaedia of Historical Metrology, Weights, and Measures; Jan Gyllenbok; Birkhäuser; 2018; 3 Volumes.
Historical Metrology: A New Analysis of the Archaeological and the Historical Evidence Relating to Weights and Measures; Algernon Berriman; Praeger; 1970;
ISBN978-0837124247.
This is a list of obsolete units of measurement, organized by type. These
units of measurement are typically no longer used, though some may be in limited use in various regions. For units of measurement that are unusual but not necessarily obsolete, see
List of unusual units of measurement. For units of measurement that are humorous in nature, see
List of humorous units of measurement.
Cana – a
unit of length used in the former
Crown of Aragon, at least in Catalonia. It is around the same value as the vara of Aragon, Spain, and Portugal.[3]
Lachter – a unit of length once used in the
mining industry in most of Europe. It was usually used to measure depth, tunnel driving and the size of mining fields; it was also used for contract work. In mining in the German-speaking countries, it was the primary unit of length.
Ligne – a French unit of length, roughly equal to 2.25 mm (0.089 in), or 9 points
Yojana – a
Vedic measure of distance used in ancient
India. Its value was about 10 km (6.2 mi), although the exact value is disputed among scholars (between 8 and 13 km or 5 and 8 mi)
Luminosity
Carcel burner – an efficient lighting device used in the nineteenth century for domestic purposes and in France as the standard measure for
illumination
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.
Truss – a unit of mass used to describe 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.
Botella −
Spanish for "bottle", which has been given various standard capacities at different times and places, and for different fluids.[12] Often-cited figures include 0.95
liters in
Cuba (1796), 0.75 liters in Cuba (1862) and 0.7 liters in Colombia (1957).[13]
Deal – a former
U.K. and
U.S. unit of volume for stacked firewood.[7] A U.K. deal equaled 7 ft × 6 ft × 2+1⁄2 in, while a U.S. deal equaled 12 ft × 11 in × 1+1⁄2 in.[7]
Quibi – a unit of time equal to 10 minutes. First used in Quibi's own
Super Bowl LIII advertising campaign, this word saw small amounts of ironic adoption.
Sack – originally a medieval unit of mass, equal to 26
stone (364 pounds, or about 165 kg). Since a unit of
dry volume, equal to 24
imperial gallons (about 109 liters).
^Kisch, Bruno (1965).
Scales and Weights. Original from the University of California: Yale University Press. p. 237.
^ William Parry, Louis Albert Fischer,State and National Laws Concerning the Weights and Measures of the United StatesUnited States National Bureau of Standards, 1912 p. 414
Encyclopaedia of Historical Metrology, Weights, and Measures; Jan Gyllenbok; Birkhäuser; 2018; 3 Volumes.
Historical Metrology: A New Analysis of the Archaeological and the Historical Evidence Relating to Weights and Measures; Algernon Berriman; Praeger; 1970;
ISBN978-0837124247.