Cordwood

/ˈkɔːrdwʊd/ noun

Definition

Firewood cut and stacked in cords (a specific measurement unit, typically 128 cubic feet), ready for burning or selling.

Etymology

From cord (a unit of measurement) plus wood. A cord as a measurement unit came from the practice of using rope to measure stacked wood, eventually standardizing to a specific volume for trade purposes.

Kelly Says

Cordwood measurement created one of history's earliest standardized units of exchange—before metric systems, communities traded in cords, and cheating on a cord of firewood was serious fraud that could get you expelled from town.

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