What Is Toise?
A toise is an old French unit that measures length. It is a little shorter than two meters. People in France and some nearby places used it before the metric system. Today it is mostly found in old books, maps, and buildings.
Definition
The toise is a traditional French unit of length.
- 1 toise is about 1.95 meters.
- 1 toise is about 6.4 feet.
- 1 toise equals 6 old French feet, called pieds.
The exact value used by most scientists and historians is:
- 1 toise = 1.949 meters (rounded)
- 1 toise = 1.949 meters × 100 = about 195 centimeters
Different kinds of toises existed in history, but they were all close to this length.
History / Origin
The word toise comes from old French and is related to a word that means to stretch out. It was based on the idea of a person stretching out their arms to measure distance, like the English fathom.
The toise appeared in France in the Middle Ages. Over time the French kings wanted a fixed and reliable standard. They made metal bars that showed the official length of the toise. Important versions included:
- Toise du Chatelet used in Paris as a main standard before the metric system.
- Toise de l Academie and Toise du Perou used by scientists for astronomy and mapping the shape of the Earth.
Surveyors and builders used the toise when they made maps, roads, walls, and canals. In the late 1700s France created the metric system, and the meter slowly replaced the toise in law and in daily life.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The toise is no longer a modern official unit, so there is no single worldwide symbol. In old documents you may see:
- toise written out in full.
- t or T used as a short form.
- tois or tse in some handwritten records.
Today, when people explain the toise in books or articles, they usually just write the word toise and then show the value in meters.
Current Use Around the World
The toise is not used in normal life anymore. It has been replaced by the metric system, which uses meters and centimeters. Still, the toise matters in some areas:
- History and archives many old French documents, maps, and contracts use the toise.
- Architecture and restoration old buildings, forts, and city walls in France and former French regions were planned in toises.
- History of science some classic astronomy and geography work used the toise for measurements.
You may meet the toise when you study French history, old land records, or when you visit museums and historic sites in France, Switzerland, Belgium, and parts of Canada that were once French.
Example Conversions
Use these simple conversion facts:
- 1 toise ≈ 1.949 meters
- 1 meter ≈ 0.513 toise
- 1 toise ≈ 6.39 feet
- 1 foot ≈ 0.156 toise
Some easy examples:
- 2 toises to meters
2 × 1.949 ≈ 3.898 meters. You can say about 3.9 meters. - 5 toises to meters
5 × 1.949 ≈ 9.745 meters. You can say about 9.7 or 9.8 meters. - 10 toises to feet
10 × 6.39 ≈ 63.9 feet. You can say about 64 feet. - 20 meters to toises
20 × 0.513 ≈ 10.26 toises. You can say about 10.3 toises.
When working with history, people usually accept these rounded values, unless very high accuracy is needed.
Related Units
The toise is part of a family of length units. Here are some related ones:
- Meter (m) the modern standard unit of length used almost everywhere today. 1 toise ≈ 1.949 meters.
- French pied the old French foot. 1 toise = 6 pieds.
- Foot (ft) the English and American foot. 1 toise ≈ 6.39 feet.
- Yard (yd) common in English speaking countries. 1 yard = 3 feet. So 1 toise ≈ 2.13 yards.
- Fathom old sea unit for water depth, also 6 feet long. A toise and a fathom are close in size, but not exactly the same.
Knowing these related units makes it easier to picture how long a toise is in real life.
FAQs
How long is one toise in meters
One toise is about 1.949 meters. Many books round this to about 1.95 meters to keep things simple.
How many feet are in a toise
One toise is close to 6.39 feet. You can think of it as a little more than six and one third feet.
Is the toise still used today
No, the toise is not used in modern measuring. It only appears in old records, historic studies, and some research on the history of science and surveying.
Why did the toise disappear
The toise disappeared because France and many other countries chose the metric system. The meter is easier to use with decimals and is the same in every country that accepts it.
Where might I see the toise in real life
You might see the word toise in old stones on buildings, in museums, in archives, or printed on copies of very old maps from France and former French colonies.
Is a toise the same everywhere in history
There were small differences in the length of the toise at different times and places. However, all common versions are close to 1.95 meters, so this value works well in most school level work.