Rood (unit)

Rood is an archaic word for "pole", from Old English rōd "pole", specifically "cross", from Proto-Germanic *rodo, cognate to Old Saxon rōda, Old High German ruoda "rod";[1] the relation of rood to rod, from Old English rodd "pole", is unclear; the latter was perhaps influenced by Old Norse rudda "club".

In Normandy, where the rood was also used (before being replaced by metric units around 1800), it was known as a vergée, from the French word verge (stick, rod), which was borrowed in English (see virge).

Rood is an English unit of area equal to one quarter of an acre[2] or 10,890 square feet, exactly 1,011.7141056 m2.

The rood was an important measure in surveying on account of its easy conversion to acres.

[4][5] The original OED of 1914 said this sense was "now only in local use, and varying from 6 to 8 yards" (or 18 to 24 ft, "Rood", II.7).