Palmo (unit)

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The palmo was a measure of length. By its spread, it was an Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese measure. Latin palmus (“palm of the hand”) means “ hand width ”, with the Romans this was ¼ pes (foot), so 7½ cm, a very small measure. Depending on the country, the palmo in the middle modern period was more like the span (a good 20 cm) or the foot (around 30 cm). A square measure and a volume measure were also derived from the palmo.

Italy

Rome

In the Papal State of Rome there were three different names. There was the Palmo mercantile or trading palm , the Palmo architettonico or Baupalmo and Palmo d'ara , the Altarpalmo. The latter was also called Saint Palmo or Palmo sacro . The dimensions differed accordingly.

  • 1 palmo mercantile or trading palm = 110.4157 Parisian lines = 0.249079 meters
  • 1 Palmo architettonico or Baupalmo = 98.9393 Parisian lines = 0.22319 meters
  • 1 Palmo d'ara, the Altarpalmo = 55.412 Parisian lines = 0.125 meters

Carrara

Corsica

  • 1 palmo = 110.9 Parisian lines = 250 millimeters

Genoa

  • 1 palmo = 110 ¾ Parisian lines = 250 millimeters
  • 1 Canna = 10 Palmi, occasionally 8 or 12

Naples

Here the measure applied from 1840

  • 1 palmo = 117.274 Parisian lines = 10 decime = 100 centesime (old 12 once = 60 minuti = 120 punti)
  • 1 Palmo = 116.866 Parisian lines = 263 millimeters (= 263.63 millimeters)
  • 1 canna = 8 palmi

There were also differences for a canna

When used as a field and arable measure, the palmo became the square palmo (area measure).

  • 1 square palmo = 94 7/9 Parisian square inches
  • 7 Square Palmi = 1 Square Passo in Apulia
  • 70 square palmi = 1 cantana
  • 420 square palmi = 1 versura
  • 8400 square palmi = 1 caro

Pisa

  • 1 palmo = 132.3 Parisian lines = 298 millimeters

Nice

  • 1 Palmo = 117.3 Parisian lines = 264 millimeters (1 Palmo = 0.265 meters)

Sardinia

  • 1 palmo = 110 1/10 Parisian lines (equivalent to the Roman trading palm)

Sicily

  • 1 Palmo = 117 Parisian lines = 263 millimeters ( Messina )
  • 1 Palmo = 107 ⅝ Parisian lines = 243 millimeters ( Palermo )
  • 1 canna = 8 palmi

Spain

Various palmi were spread here. With the so-called Castilian Palmi a distinction was made between two different Palmo, the small and the large Palmo and these were in the ratio 3 small = 1 large.

  • 1 small palmo = 31 ⅓ Parisian lines = 68 millimeters
  • 4 small Palmi = 1 pies
  • 6 small palmi = 1 codo
  • 12 small palmi = 1 vara
  • 20 small Palmi = 1 Passo
  • 24 small Palmi = 1 Estado

Catalan palmo

In contrast, there was the Catalan Pam (Palmo), which was valid in Barcelona .

  • 1 pam = 4 quartos = 87 5/6 Parisian lines = 182 millimeters
  • 8 pams = 1 cana

Valencian palmo

There was also the Valencian palmo.

  • 1 palmo = 16 quartos = 101 4/5 Parisian lines = 229.5 millimeters
  • 4 Palmi = 1 Vara
  • 180 palmi = 1 braza
  • 360 Palmi = 1 Cuerda

Valencia

  • 1 large palmo / palmo major = 9 pollegadas = 3 small palmos / palmo menor / palmo ribeira
  • 1 Vara = 4 Palmo = 402.069 Paris lines = 0.907 meters

As a volume measure, the Palmo was cubo, cubic. Palmo, used for construction and timber in Malta and Gozzo.

  • 1 tratto = 12 palmo cubo
  • 1 palmo = 17.193 liters

Mallorcan palmo

The Mallorcan palmo was used in the Balearic Islands.

Brazil and Portugal

  • 1 palmo = 96.37 Parisian lines = 218 millimeters
  • 3 Palmi = 1 Covado (the small cubit)
  • 5 Palmi = 1 Vara
  • 10 Palmi = 1 Braca

In Portugal there was also the normal palmo, which was called Palmo de craveiro. This was

  • 1 palmo de craveiro = 8 pollegadas = 97.27 Parisian lines = 220 millimeters

A little larger was the Palmo de craveiro avantejado or Palmo good measure with 8 ¼ pollegadas, equivalent to 0.68062 meters. The Palmo da junta with 10 pollegadas was used to determine the amount of liquid and the amount of dry goods in shipments in the colonies; named after the trading company from 1756, the trading cooperation (Junta do commercio). In Lisbon it was only 0.218588 meters.

literature

  • Johann Friedrich Krüger : Complete manual of the coins, measures and weights of all countries in the world. Gottfried Basse, Quedlinburg / Leipzig 1830, pp. 225, 226.
  • Christian Noback , Friedrich Eduard Noback : Complete paperback of the coin, measure and weight ratios ..., Volume 2, FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1851, pp. 1031, 1046, 1099.
  • Johann Baptist Eckl: Applied arithmetic for use in Latin and secondary schools. JJ Lentner'sche Buchhandlung, Munich 1861.
  • Leopold Carl Bleibtreu : Handbook of coin, measure and weight, and bill of exchange, government paper, banking and shares in European and non-European countries and cities. Published by J. Engelhorn, Stuttgart 1863.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Christian Noback, Friedrich Eduard Noback: Complete paperback of the coin, measure and weight relationships. Volume 2, FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1851, p. 1309.
  2. ↑ Leopold Carl Bleibtreu: Handbook of coin, measure and weight, and the bill of exchange, government paper, banking and shares in European and non-European countries and cities. Published by J. Engelhorn, Stuttgart 1863, p. 263.
  3. ^ Christian Noback, Friedrich Eduard Noback: Complete paperback of the coin, measure and weight relationships. Volume 2, FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1851, p. 1785.
  4. ↑ Leopold Carl Bleibtreu: Handbook of coin, measure and weight, and the bill of exchange, government paper, banking and shares in European and non-European countries and cities. Published by J. Engelhorn, Stuttgart 1863, p. 332.
  5. ↑ Leopold Carl Bleibtreu: Handbook of coin, measure and weight, and the bill of exchange, government paper, banking and shares in European and non-European countries and cities. Published by J. Engelhorn, Stuttgart 1863, p. 217.
  6. ^ Carl Friedrich Schlegel: Textbook of civil and rural architecture. Heinsius'sche Buchhandlung, Gera / Leipzig 1852, 1st volume, p. 218.