Word of the Day
19 February 2026
metes and bounds
nounSurveying
A description of a piece of land consisting of both measurements (metes) of the land and owners of land which is adjacent to (bounds) it.
Why this one
Older than any coordinate grid: the description leans on physical monuments and whoever owns the next parcel over. That is also its weakness, since witness trees fall and neighbouring ownership changes, leaving a deed that no longer closes on the ground.
In use
Deed's still metes and bounds, so we're out there hunting an iron pin and a stone wall before we can stake anything.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.