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Length/Distance | Convert from ell [Scotland] to cuerda |
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Common Length Conversions Metric Length Conversions Unit Definition (ell [Scotland]) See the English El (or Ell). This Scottish length is shorter than the English El. It may reflect an old practice of cloth merchants in giving an extra inch with each yard, to allow for any irregular cutting at the ends of the piece. However, the English cloth ell is definitely longer than the yard; it seems to be the distance from the shoulder to the fingers of the opposite hand. This reflects a practice of cloth merchants of holding the cloth at the shoulder with one hand and pulling the piece through with the opposite hand. This cloth ell was used with a similar length in France, where it was called the aune. The Dutch el and German elle are a little more than half the English ell; they may represent "arm's-length" units like the Italian braccio, the Russian sadzhen, and the Turkish pik Unit Definition (cuerda) The Cuerda is a traditional unit of distance in Guatemala, equal to 25 varas or about 21 meters (roughly 69 feet). Since cuerda means a cord or rope in Spanish, this unit probably arose as the length of a measuring rope. The cuerda is also used as an area measure equal to 1 square cuerda or 625 square varas; this is about 440 square meters or 527 square yards. Note that the cuerda is also a traditional unit of land area in Puerto Rico, as well as a volume measurement for firewood in Cuba.
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