hectare

Where does the word "hectare" come from? It comes from Greek hekaton, passing through French before entering English (1810s).

Hectare’s story begins in Greek: hekaton meant “hundred.” One hundred. By 1795, the word had taken hold in French as hectare. Coined in Revolutionary Paris from 'hecto-', hundred, and 'are', a unit of 100 square metres. It reached English by 1810s as hectare. Borrowed with the metric system; 'hectare' is about 2.47 acres. Today, hectare means a metric unit of area equal to 10,000 square metres.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient hekaton "hundred", one hundred.
2. Stage 2 · French · 1795 hectare "100 ares", coined in Revolutionary Paris from 'hecto-', hundred, and 'are', a unit of 100 square metres.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1810s hectare "10,000 square metres", borrowed with the metric system; 'hectare' is about 2.47 acres.