furlong

[ fur-lawng, -long ]

noun

1. a unit of distance, equal to 220 yards (201 meters) or ⅛ mile (0.2 kilometer). : fur.

furlong

/ ˈfɜːˌlɒŋ /

noun

1. a unit of length equal to 220 yards (201.168 metres)

Word History and Origins

Origin of furlong¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English furlang “length of a furrow”; furrow, long ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of furlong¹

Old English furlang , from furh furrow + lang long ¹

Example Sentences

For most of the horses, it was their first time going 1 1/8 miles, a furlong short of the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby.

From Los Angeles Times

“He is the kind of horse that for the first furlong he needs to adjust himself,” Rispoli said.

From Los Angeles Times

It also runs thoroughbreds at 4 ½ furlongs at night.

From Los Angeles Times

Murphy, who won the Best Actor Oscar for the lead role in Oppenheimer, plays the role of furlong in the drama set in 1985.

From BBC

The bay colt and jockey Victor Espinoza surged to the lead with a furlong to go and thundered across the finish line a length ahead in the 2015 Kentucky Derby.

From Seattle Times