What does admeasuring mean?
Admeasuring is the act of measuring something out and apportioning it into defined parts — most commonly land, rooms, or shares of an estate. It is the present participle of the verb 'admeasure', a somewhat archaic term that survives mainly in legal, surveying, and historical writing. Where ordinary 'measuring' merely determines a size or quantity, admeasuring carries the added sense of division and allocation: a surveyor admeasuring a field is not just finding its area but marking out portions for distribution. The word derives from Latin roots shared with 'measure' and 'dimension' (metiri, to measure), entering English through Old French 'mesure' with the intensive prefix 'ad-'. Today it is uncommon in general speech, but it remains useful in contexts involving the formal partition of property, and its noun form 'admeasurement' still appears in some legal documents describing measured dimensions.
verbThe present participle and gerund of 'admeasure': to measure out or apportion something, especially land, space, or shares, often in a formal or legal context.
- To measure out or apportion land, space, or shares, especially in a formal, legal, or surveying context.
"The surveyor spent the morning admeasuring the plots before the estate could be divided among the heirs."
"The commissioners were tasked with admeasuring the common fields so each tenant received an equitable portion."
"Careful admeasuring of the warehouse floor allowed the firm to maximize its storage capacity."
Before GPS and laser levels, dividing an inheritance meant someone had to walk the land with a chain — literally admeasuring each heir's share by hand.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of admeasuring
Admeasuring comes from the verb 'admeasure', formed from the Latin prefix 'ad-' (to, toward) plus 'measure', which itself descends from Latin 'metiri' (to measure) via Old French 'mesure'. The root 'metiri' also gives English words such as 'dimension', 'commensurate', and 'immense'. The verb entered English in the late medieval period and was used in legal and surveying contexts for the apportionment of land and goods.
Related word forms
How admeasuring is actually used
A rare, formal word found chiefly in legal, historical, and surveying texts. It appears most often as the gerund 'admeasuring' or in the noun form 'admeasurement'. In everyday modern English, 'measuring out' or 'apportioning' has largely replaced it.
Easily confused with admeasuring
'Measuring' simply means determining size or quantity, whereas 'admeasuring' specifically means measuring out and distributing portions, typically in a legal or surveying context.