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Scottish Weights and Measures: Distance and Area 1. Distance The main units of linear measure were the foot and the mile. The foot was, traditionally, the length of a man's foot and the inch was a twelfth part of a foot (from the Latin word uncia, meaning 'a twelfth', which is also the root of the word 'ounce'). The ell (from the Latin Ulna, meaning 'forearm') was traditionally the distance from the elbow or shoulder to the wrist or finger-tips). A fall (from the Old Norse fale, meaning a 'pole' or 'perch') was the equivalent of the English measure, the 'pole'. The furlong was traditionally the distance an ox could pull a plough before needing a rest (literally a 'furrow long'). The mile (from the Roman mille passus or passuum) was based on the Roman linear measure 1000 paces. According to the standard ell of Edinburgh, adopted in 1661:
2. Area The main units of area were the rood and acre. The rood (from the word rod, meaning a measuring rod) was the equivalent of 40 square falls. The acre corresponded to the size of a ploughed field (probably from the Anglo-Saxon word acer or aecer, meaning a 'field'). According to the standard ell of Edinburgh, adopted in 1661
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