A medieval measure of land, typically the amount that could be plowed by one ox or ox-team in a year, roughly 15 acres.
From Medieval Latin bovata, derived from bos (ox) + -ata (suffix indicating a quantity or measure). Used in English land measurement from the 11th-16th centuries.
Before GPS and surveying, farmers measured land by ox-power—one bovate literally meant 'how much one ox can work in a year,' turning your plow animal into your standard measurement system!
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