fur

Units & Measurements abbreviation · US Customary and Imperial Unit

fur
Stands forFurlong
CategoriesUnits & Measurements

fur stands for Furlong, a US customary and imperial unit abbreviation.

One eighth of a mile: 220 yards, 660 feet or about 201 meters. Today it survives mainly in horse racing, where race distances are announced in furlongs; the Kentucky Derby is 10 furlongs.

Example: The maiden race is run over 6 fur on the turf course.

Usage notes

The name comes from Old English furh lang, "furrow long", the length of a plowed furrow in the medieval open-field system. An acre was once a strip one furlong long and one chain wide. Racing publications in the UK and Ireland routinely give distances in miles and furlongs, such as 1m 4f.

More US customary and imperial unit abbreviations

  • cwt – Hundredweight
  • dr – Dram
  • dwt – Pennyweight
  • fl oz – Fluid ounce
  • ft – Foot
  • ftm – Fathom
  • gal – Gallon
  • gi – Gill
  • gr – Grain
  • hh – Hands high
  • imp – Imperial
  • in – Inch

See all 43 US customary and imperial unit abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.