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Yard
*** Shopping-Tip: Yard
{{Otheruses1|the unit of measure}}
A '''yard''' (abbr. '''yd.''') is an
English unit of
length, defined as 3
Foot (unit of length) feet, 36
inches, or 1/1760 of a
mile, which is exactly
1 E-1 m 0.9144 metres in the modern, international definition. The corresponding
area measure is the '''square yard'''.
The early yard was divided by the binary method into 2, 4, 8, and 16 parts called the half-yard, span, finger, and nail.
The yard derives its name from the word for a straight branch or rod, although the precise origin of the
weights and measures measure is not definitely known. Some believe it derived from the double
cubit, or that it originated from cubic measure, others from it's near equivilents, like the length of a ''stride'' or ''pace''. One postulate was that the yard was derived from the
girth of a person's waist, while another claim held that the measure was invented by
Henry I of England as being the distance between the tip of his nose and the end of his thumb. These are believed to be more likely standardising events than inventing of the measure.
Several standardisations of the yard have been produced over the years, resulting in yardsticks of various lengths. The modern yard is a compromise between the old
United Kingdom British and
United States American standards, and is calibrated against the
metre.
Category:Units of length
Category:Imperial units
Category:Customary units in the United States
Category:Human-based units of measure
Category:Nautical terms
af:Jaard
ar:يارد
bg:Ярд
da:Yard
de:Yard
es:Yarda
eo:Jardo
fr:Yard
it:Iarda
nl:Yard
ja:ヤード
no:Yard
pl:Jard (jednostka)
pt:Jarda
ru:Ярд
simple:Yard
sv:Yard
uk:Ярд
zh:ç ?
