It is used in Quebec, some areas of the United States that were part of French Louisiana, and in Mauritius and the Seychelles.
The word arpent is believed to derive from the Late Latin arepennis (equal to half a jugerum), which in turn comes from the Gaulish *are-penno- ("end, extremity of a field").
The most common were the arpent used in North America, which was defined as 180 French feet[1] (pied, of approximately 32.48 centimetres or 12.79 inches), and the arpent used in Paris, which was defined as 220 French feet.
[5] French arpent land divisions are long narrow parcels of land, also called ribbon farms, usually found along the navigable streams of southern Louisiana and along major waterways in other areas.
Land grant would typically be specified in terms of arpents de face, referring to the amount of river frontage.