acre definition - Dictionary

Dictionary

a·cre [ áykər ]

noun (plural a·cres)

Definition:

unit of area: a unit of area used in some countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, equal to 4,046.86 sq m. (4,840 sq yd)

plural noun a·cres

Definition:

1. land: land, especially a large amount of land

2. large amount: a large amount or area of something ( informal )

acres of space in the new headquarters

[ Old English æcer. Ultimately probably "area over which plowing oxen can be driven in a day" < Indo-European, "drive"]

Cultural Note


	A Thousand Acres, a novel (1991) by U.S. writer Jane Smiley. A retelling of King Lear set in the Midwest, it exposes the tragedies of alcoholism and emotional and environmental abuse behind the rural idyll of a family farm. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in literature and a National Book Critics' Circle Award, and was made into a movie in 1997.