Romanian units of measurement
„This is the fathom from Craiova of eight palms, Bujorianu”. Inscription on the wooden church in Mănăileşti-Moşteni, Vâlcea county.
The measures of the old Romanian system varied greatly not only between the three Romanian states (Wallachia, Moldavia, Transylvania), but sometimes also inside the same country. The origin of some of the measures are the Latin (such as iugăr unit), Slavic (such as vadră unit), Greek (such as dram unit) and Turkish (such as palmac unit) systems.
This system is no longer in wide use since the adoption of the metric system in 1864, however some rural communities still use a small subset of these units.
Length
- Palmă (palm) - 1/8 of a stânjen
- Stânjen - 2 m (approximately)
- Palmac - 3.48 cm (Moldavia)
- Poştă - 8–20 km (depending on the country)
- Pas mic (small step) - 4 palme (Wallachia) (palme is the plural noun for palmă)
- Pas mare (large step) - 6 palme (Wallachia; Moldavia)
- Lat de palmă (palm width) - 1/2 palmă
- Cot (cubit) - 664 mm (Moldavia); 637 mm (Wallachia)
- Funie (rope) - 20–120 m (depending on the place)
- Leghe (league) - 4.444 km;
- Deget (finger) - the width of a finger
- Prăjină - 3 stânjeni (stânjeni is the plural noun for stânjen)
- Verstă - 1067 m (3,500 ft)
- Picior (foot) - 1/6 of a stânjen
Volume
none = (Moldavia) Bold = (Wallachia) Italic = (Transylvania)
| Unit | Metric value (by state) | Imperial value (by state) |
|---|---|---|
| Oca | 1.5 litres; 1.25 litres | 1.32 Quarts; 1.1 Quarts |
| Litră | 0.25 litres in all 3 | 0.22 Quarts in all 3 |
| Baniţă | 21.5 litres; 33.96 litres | 18.3 Quarts; 29.9 Quarts |
| Chiup | 30-40 litres | 26-35 Quarts |
| Câblă | - | - |
| Merţă - (Moldavia); | 110-120 litres; 22.5 litres | 97-106 Quarts; 20 Quarts |
| Feredelă | - | - |
| Obroc mare | 66 litres; 55 litres | 58 Quarts; 48 Quarts |
| Obroc mic - 22 ocale | 33 litres; 27.5 litres | 29 Quarts; 24 Quarts |
| Giumătate | 1200-1500 litres | 1056-1320 Quarts (264-330 Gallons) |
| Vadră | 15 litres; 12.88 litres | 13 Quarts; 11 Quarts |
| Pintă | 3.394 litres | 2.988 Quarts |
| Tină | 15 litres | 13 Quarts |
| Sau | 3.22-3.80 millilitres | 0.11-0.13 Fluid ounces |
Notes
- Litră - (still used as 1/4 of a litre in some regions of Romania)
- Chiup - (a chiup was a large clay pot for liquids)
- Feredelă - 1/4 bucket (Transylvania)
- Vadră - (Moldavia) (still used as 10 litres in some regions of Romania)
Weight
| Unit | relation to previous | Metric value | Imperial value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dram | ... | 3.18 - 3.25 g | 50.155 Gr |
| Font | 158 Dram | 0.5kg | 17.64 Oz |
Area
| Unit | relation to previous | Metric value | Imperial value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feredelă | ... | 1.25 m² | 11.6128 Sq Ft |
| Stânjen pătrat | - | 3,59665 m² | 38.7140184 Sq Ft |
| Pogon - | 4 Feredelă | 5 m² (???) This contradicts https://dexonline.ro/definitie/pogon where 1 pogon = 1/2 ha | 46.45 Sq Ft |
| Falce - | 3 Pogon | 14.3 m² | 132.85 Sq Ft |
| Prăjină | 14 Falce | 195 m² | 1811.609 Sq Ft |
| Iugăr | 3 Prăjină | 5,700 m² | 52954.73 Sq Ft |
See also
Notes
- Iugăr - the area ploughed in one day by two oxen - 7166 m2 (Transylvania in 1517); 5,700 m² (in other states)
- Stânjen pătrat - Embracing square
References
- Nicolae, Stoicescu: Cum măsurau strămoşii, metrologia medievală pe teritoriul româniei, Editura Ştiinţifică, Bucureşti, 1971.
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