- "rood" is also the Dutch word for "red".
Rood has several distinct meanings, all derived from the same basic etymology.
"Rood" is an archaic word for "pole", from Anglo-Saxon rōd "pole", specifically "crucifix", from Proto-Germanic *rodo, cognate to Old Saxon rōda, Old High German ruoda "rod"; the relation of rood to rod, from Anglo-Saxon rodd "pole" is unclear; the latter was perhaps influenced by Old Norse rudda "club").
Measurement of area or length
Specifically, rood is an Old English unit of area, equal to quarter of an acre, i.e. 10 890 square feet or 1011.7141056 m² (for the international inch) or about 10.1 are. A rectangular area with edges of one furlong and one rod respectively is one rood, as is an area consisting of 40 perches (square rods.) It is confusingly called an acre in some ancient contexts. The rood is an important measure in surveying on account of its easy conversion with the acre. Rood also refers to a British unit of linear measure between 16.5 and 24 feet. It is related to the German rute (12.36 to 12.47 feet) and Denmark's rode (12.34 feet)[1]
References
- ^ Herbert Arthur Klein. (1988). The Science of Measurement: A Historical Survey. New York: Dover. A corrected republication of The World of Measurements: Masterpieces, Mysteries and Muddles of Metrology published by Simon & Schuster in 1974 and by George Allen & Unwin in 1975. 65–66.
- Pevsner, Nikolaus, The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire, Penguin Books (original series, 1951–1974)
- Extract from Jacqueline Simpson and Steve Roud, A Dictionary of English Folklore, Oxford University Press, 2000
- Hole, Christina, A Dictionary of British Folk Customs, Granada/Paladin 1978
- St. Mary's, Charlton-on-Otmoor (from acny.org.uk, accessed 07:10, 04 November 2007 (UTC) )
- Rood. Catholic Encyclopedia.
- Hubberholme Church, Yorkshire. Rood loft dated 1558 Possibly the oldest in England.
See also
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