faggot (unit)
{{Short description|Archaic unit for bundles of sticks}}
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File:Woman Carrying Faggot Munkácsy Mihály.jpg]]
A faggot, in the meaning of "bundle", is an archaic English unit applied to bundles of certain items. Alternate spellings in Early Modern English include fagate, faget, fagett, faggott, fagot, fagatt, fagott, ffagott, and faggat. A similar term is found in other languages (e.g. Latin: fascis).
Background
Sometimes called a short faggot, a faggot of sticks equals a bundle of wood sticks or billets that is {{convert|3|ft|cm|-1}} in length and {{convert|2|ft|cm|-1}} in circumference. The measurement was standardised in ordinances by 1474.{{Cite book |last=Zupko |first=Ronald Edward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0l_k-XMIiQIC&pg=PA125 |title=A Dictionary of Weights and Measures for the British Isles: The Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century |publisher=American Philosophical Society |year=1985 |isbn=9780871691682 |volume=168}} A small short faggot was also called a nicket.{{Cite book |last=Halliwell |first=John Orchard |title=A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words: Obsolete Phrases, Proverbs and Ancient Customs from the Fourteenth Century J-Z |publisher=Kessinger Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=9781428627642 |volume=2}} A brush-faggot (sometimes shortened to brush) was a bundle of similar size made of brushwood.{{Cite book |last=Wright |first=Joseph |title=The English Dialect Dictionary, Being the Complete Vocabulary of All Dialect Words Still in Use, Or Known to Have Been in Use During the Last Two Hundred Years: A-E |publisher=H. Frowde |year=1898}}
A long faggot of sticks equals a bundle larger than {{convert|3|ft|cm|-1}} long. In a book on slang used at Winchester College fire-dogs were fire basket (andirons) that could hold long faggots, and half-faggots were smaller andirons that could only hold short faggots and were later converted for use with coal.{{Cite book |last1=Stevens |first1=Charles |title=Winchester notions: the English dialect of Winchester College |last2=Stray |first2=Christopher |publisher=Athlone Press |year=1998 |isbn=9780485121384}}
A long faggot was also called a kidd faggot,Yaxley, David (2003). A Researcher's Glossary of Words Found in Historical Documents of East Anglia. Larks Press, {{ISBN|9781904006138}} kid, kide, or kidde being Middle English for firewood in bundles.{{Cite book |url=http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/m/mec/med-idx?type=id&id=MED24223 |title=Middle English Compendium |publisher=University of Michigan Library |editor-last=Frances McSparran |location=Ann Arbor |display-authors=et al.}}
A fascine (or bavin) is a type of long faggot which is approximately {{convert|13|to|20|ft|m|0}} long and {{convert|8|to|9|in|cm|0}} in diameter and used to maintain earthworks such as trenches.{{Cite book |title=The New Quarterly Review and Digest of Current Literature, British, American, French, and German. For the Year 1855 |publisher=Thomas Bosworth |location=London}}{{Cite book |last=Editorial staff |title=The English Mechanic and World of Science |year=1871 |volume=12 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=VbLmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA168&lpg=PA168 168]}}{{Cite book |last=Nolan |first=Cathal J. |title=Wars of the Age of Louis XIV, 1650-1715: An Encyclopedia of Global Warfare and Civilization |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2008 |isbn=9780313359200}}
A faggot was also a unit of weight used to measure iron or steel rods or bars totaling {{convert|120|lb|kg}}.
See also
References
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External links
- {{wiktionary-inline|faggot}}
- {{wiktionary-inline|fascis}}
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