An archaic unit of measurement used in Portugal and Spain, or a historical Portuguese coin; also a historical variant of 'ferrado' meaning 'bound with iron.'
From Portuguese/Spanish 'ferrado,' derived from Latin 'ferratum' (bound with iron, shod with iron), referring to iron-bound measures or coins stamped with iron tools.
The ferrado shows how medieval Europe solved the problem of standardized measurement—they literally bound wooden measures with iron bands to make them durable and ensure they couldn't be shaved down by dishonest traders.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.