fardel

noun /ˈfɑː(ɹ)dəl/

1. A fourth part: a quarter of anything.

   I... bought a Farthel of Bread and a Mutckin of Ale.

2. An English unit of land area variously understood as the fourth part of an oxgang or of a yardland.

   historical

   You must note, that two Fardells of Land make a Nooke of Land, and two Nookes make halfe a Yard of Land.

Where it comes from

A clipped form of Middle English ferthendel (literally “fourth part”), equivalent to fourth + deal. Cognate with Dutch vierendeel (“a fourth part, quarter”), German Viertel (“a quarter, fourth”), Danish fjerdedel (“a quarter”), Swedish fjärdedel (“a fourth, quarter”).

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry fardel (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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