oxgang
Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word oxgang. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word oxgang, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say oxgang in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word oxgang you have here. The definition of the word oxgang will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofoxgang, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English oxegang, from Old English oxangang (“1⁄8 hide or ploughland”), equivalent to ox + gang.
Noun
oxgang (plural oxgangs)
- (historical) The area of land that could be plowed by an ox in a year, 1⁄8 hide or carucate and notionally 15 acres.
- (historical, Scotland) The similar Scottish concept, 1⁄8 of a ploughgate and notionally 121⁄2 or 13 Scottish acres.
Usage notes
The hide was originally intended to represent the amount of land farmed by a single household but was primarily connected to obligations owed to the Saxon and Norman kings and thus varied greatly from place to place. Around the time of the Domesday Book under the Normans, the hide was usually but not always the land expected to produce £1 (1 Tower pound of sterling silver) in income over the year, meaning the oxgang was expected to produce 30 pence (11⁄2 Tower ounces of sterling silver).
Synonyms
Hypernyms
- (800 oxgangs) See hundred
- (8 oxgangs) See carucate
- (Scottish, 4 oxgangs) See ochdamh
- (2 oxgangs) See virgate
Hyponyms
Translations
area
|
References
- Worchester, Joseph. A Dictionary of the English Language. Boston, 1881.