Alnage

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The official measurement of woven cloth by its length or width, carried out by a sworn inspector ; the fee or charge collected for carrying out that measuring
2. Formal checking of the length of a piece of cloth against a standard ruler ; the payment levied for that inspection of textile measure
3. An old standard measuring of drapery and fabric by an official ; the sum paid to the officer who performed the cloth measurement

Etymology: Alnage was a formal measuring fee, and the word carries the measure of an arm in its own roots. It came into Middle English as "aulnage," borrowed from Old French "alnage" (modern French "aunage"), which was built on "alne," meaning "ell," a unit of length roughly the distance from the shoulder to the fingertips. That old French word for the ell is of Germanic origin, related to Old High German "elina" and to the Gothic word for "cubit," so the same bodily measure sits behind the English term through two languages. The word named the official act of measuring cloth and the duty charged for doing so. Officers called alnagers checked the length and quality of woollen cloth, so the fee was tied to a measuring stick that was literally an arm's length. Cloth-making was a major trade, which is why the process needed a formal name and a state-sanctioned inspector.