1. A unit of land area used in French-speaking regions, especially in Canada and Louisiana, equal to approximately 0.85 acres or 0.34 hectares.
Usage: historical; regional; chiefly used in Quebec and Louisiana

Examples

• The old French land grant was measured in arpents.
• In colonial Louisiana, property was often surveyed and divided into arpents.
• The farmer inherited five arpents of land from his grandfather.
• Historical records from Quebec show that many farms were one or two arpents in size.
• The arpent system of measurement is still referenced in some legal documents in French Canada.