Ligne
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Ligne | |
---|---|
Unit system | French |
Unit of | length |
Conversions | |
1 ligne in ... | ... is equal to ... |
French units | 12 Truchet point 1/12 pouce |
metric (SI) units | 2.2558 mm |
imperial/US units | 0.08881 in |
The ligne (pronounced [liɲ] ), or line or Paris line,[1] is a historic unit of length used in France and elsewhere prior to the adoption of the metric system in the late 18th century, and used in various sciences after that time.[2][3] The loi du 19 frimaire an VIII (Law of 10 December 1799) states that one metre is equal to exactly 443.296 French lines.[4]
It is vestigially retained today by French and Swiss watchmakers to measure the size of watch movements,[5] in button making, and in ribbon manufacture.
Current use[]
Watchmaking[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/BwcOmega911a.jpg/220px-BwcOmega911a.jpg)
There are 12 lignes to one French inch (pouce). The standardized conversion for a ligne is 2.2558291 mm (1 mm = 0.443296 ligne),[4] and it is abbreviated with the letter L or represented by the triple prime, ‴. One ligne is the equivalent of 0.0888 international inch.
This is comparable in size to the British measurement called "line" (one-twelfth of an English inch), used prior to 1824.[6] (The French inch at that time was slightly larger than the English one, but the system of 12 inches to a foot and 12 lines to an inch was the same in both cases.)
Buttonmaking[]
In the 18th century German button makers began to use the term ligne to measure the diameter of buttons. The consensus definition was that a ligne was the measurement of a round wick, folded flat. In this sense it measures 1⁄40 of an inch, but not exactly, for there were several inches in the kingdoms and petty states of Germany at that time.
Such a measurement became the American measurement called "line", being one-fortieth of the US-customary inch, used to measure buttons, probably introduced by German immigrants. [7][better source needed] It remains in US use today for buttons and snaps.[citation needed]
Hatmaking[]
Ligne is used in measuring the width of ribbons in men's hat bands,[8] at 11.26 per inch.[9]
See also[]
- Line
- Old French units
- Horology
Notes[]
References[]
- ^ Gates, E.J. (1915). "The Determination of the Limens of Single and Dual Impression by the Method of Constant Stimuli". The American Journal of Psychology. 26 (1): 152–157. doi:10.2307/1412884. JSTOR 1412884.
- ^ Stearn, W.T. (1992). Botanical Latin: History, grammar, syntax, terminology and vocabulary, Fourth edition. David and Charles.
- ^ Neumann, F. (January 1863). "IX. Experiments on the calorific conductibility of solids". Philosophical Magazine. 4. 25 (165): 63–65. doi:10.1080/14786446308643418.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Suzanne Débarbat. "Fixation de la longueur définitive du mètre" [Establishing the definitive metre] (in French). Ministère de la culture et de la communication (French ministry of culture and communications). Retrieved 2011-03-01.
- ^ Foire aux questions sur l'horlogerie et les montres [Frequently asked questions about watches and clocks] (in French), horlogerie-suisse.com, retrieved 2010-06-30,
Chaque ligne équivaut à 2,2558 mm, arrondis à 2,26 mm pour calculer plus rapidement. [Each line equals 2.2558 mm, rounded to 2.26 mm for faster calculation.]
. - ^ Oxford English Dictionary
- ^ http://www.naturalbuttons.com/Buttons%20Ligne.htm
- ^ http://www.levinehat.com/blog/2011/08/what-are-french-lignes/
- ^ http://www.levinehat.com/lignes-to-inches-converter
- Obsolete units of measurement
- Units of length