toise—A unit of length used in early geodetic surveys and equal to about 6.4 English feet. The Toise of Peru was an iron standard used in measuring the base lines which controlled the lengths of the Peruvian Arc (of triangulation), executed in 1736-1743, in connection with a determination of the figure and size of the Earth. The Toise of Peru became the legal standard of length in France; from it was derived the French legal meter, as follows: the toise was divided into 6 pieds (feet); each pied was divided into 12 polices (inches); each pouce was divided into 12 lignes (lines); and one French legal meter was equal to 443.296 lignes exactly at a temperature of 13° Reaumur. See also pied; pouce.

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Source: NSPS “Definitions of Surveying and Related Terms“, used with permission.

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