kos

Thân thiện

A farmer measures a field using a kos along a country path.

Definition

Noun: 1. A unit of distance used in India: A traditional Indian unit for measuring length or distance. Its exact value is not standardized and varies between different regions and localities.

Usage

• The word "kos" is used as a countable noun to specify a distance in historical, traditional, or local contexts within India.
• It is typically preceded by a number (e.g., , ).

Examples

• The next village is approximately three kos from here.
• In ancient texts, the pilgrimage route was described as being over a hundred kos long.
• The value of a kos can differ significantly from one district to another.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often found in historical accounts, travelogues, and texts describing the Indian subcontinent.
• While largely supplanted by metric and imperial units in modern official use, "kos" may still be used in rural areas or in figurative expressions about distance.

Variants and Related Words

• Coss: An alternate English spelling for the same unit.
• Krośa: (Sanskrit) The etymological origin of the word "kos," referring to the distance a person's call can be heard, traditionally about 2 miles.

Synonyms

• League: (Historical) A unit of distance of varying length, similar in concept to the kos as a non-standardized measure.
• Mile: A standardized unit of distance; used for approximate modern equivalents, though not a direct synonym.

Notes on Different Meanings

• This word has a single, specific meaning as a unit of measurement. It is not to be confused with the acronym "KOS" used in other contexts (e.g., gaming: "Kill On Sight").

Related Idioms or Phrases

• While not a common idiom, one might encounter phrases like "a kos-stone's throw" in historical or literary contexts, metaphorically indicating a distance measured in kos, though this is not a standardized idiom.

Học thuật

Noun

1. (in India) a unit of length having different values in different localities

Từ đồng nghĩa

• coss