from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Mile \Mile\ (m[imac]l), n. [AS. m[imac]l, fr. L. millia, milia;
pl. of mille a thousand, i. e., milia passuum a thousand
paces. Cf. {Mill} the tenth of a cent, {Million}.]
A certain measure of distance, being equivalent in England
and the United States to 320 poles or rods, or 5,280 feet.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The distance called a mile varies greatly in different
countries. Its length in yards is, in Norway, 12,182;
in Brunswick, 11,816; in Sweden, 11,660; in Hungary,
9,139; in Switzerland, 8,548; in Austria, 8,297; in
Prussia, 8,238; in Poland, 8,100; in Italy, 2,025; in
England and the United States, 1,760; in Spain, 1,552;
in the Netherlands, 1,094.
[1913 Webster]
{Geographical mile} or {Nautical mile}, one sixtieth of a
degree of a great circle of the earth, or 6080.27 feet.
{Mile run}. Same as {Train mile}. See under {Train}.
{Roman mile}, a thousand paces, equal to 1,614 yards English
measure.
{Statute mile}, a mile conforming to statute, that is, in
England and the United States, a mile of 5,280 feet, as
distinguished from any other mile.
[1913 Webster]