Toise

Template:Short description Template:Use Oxford spelling Template:Use dmy dates A toise (; symbol: T) is a unit of measure for length, area and volume originating in pre-revolutionary France. In North America, it was used in colonial French establishments in early New France, French Louisiana (Louisiane), Acadia (Acadie) and Quebec. The related () was used in Portugal, Brazil, and other parts of the Portuguese Empire until the adoption of the metric system.

The name is derived from the Latin , meaning "outstretched arms".

File:Toise - Cour Grand Châtelet.jpg

In this illustration from 1702, "B" marks the place outside the Grand Châtelet in Paris where the standard toise was displayed. "A" shows a straight toise ruler, "D" a folding one.

Definition

Unit of area

• 1 toise was about 3.799 square metres, or a square French toise, as a measure for land and masonry area in France before 10 December 1799.

Unit of volume

• 1 toise = 8.0 cubic metres (20th century Haiti)

See also

• Units of measurement in France before the French Revolution
• Portuguese customary units
• Ottoman units of measurement
• Fathom and klafter, similar units

External links

• Sizes.com toise page
• Reference from UN United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Statistical Office of the United Nations