Mile

Mile, a measure of distance first used by the Romans. The word, etymologically, means "a thousand" (paces of a Roman soldier). It is used to designate a number of lengths varying from the Saxon mile of 9,913 complete yards to the Greek mile of 1,412 complete yards. The old Roman mile contains 1,617 English yards, and the English statute mile (legalised 1593) 1,760 yards = 320 perches or poles. The mediaeval English mile (divided into 10 furlongs) was equal to 2,2034; yards, the old London mile to l,666f yards, the ancient Scottish mile to 1,976 yards, the Irish mile to 2,240 yards, and the Welsh to nearly 4 miles English.