boissel

Bushel comes from Old French boissel, possibly diminutive of boisse, a grain measure. The deeper origin is uncertain — some connect it to Gaulish *bosta (palm of the hand), suggesting a measure originally scooped by hand. By the thirteenth century, English law recognized the bushel as a standard dry measure, roughly eight gallons. It was the unit of grain trade: wheat, barley, oats, and rye were bought and sold by the bushel.

Like every medieval measure, the bushel was locally variable. The Winchester bushel, supposedly standardized by King Edgar around 970, became the English standard. It was defined by a specific physical container kept at Winchester. In 1696, the Winchester bushel was measured at 2,150.42 cubic inches. The American bushel still uses this figure. The British Imperial bushel, defined in 1824, is slightly larger at 2,219.36 cubic inches.

The bushel appears in the King James Bible, Matthew 5:15: 'Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel.' The bushel here is a translation of the Greek modios, itself borrowed from Latin modius, a dry grain measure. The image is simple: an overturned grain basket smothering a flame. The metaphor — hiding something worth showing — has lasted four centuries in English because the image is so concrete.

Corn, wheat, soybeans, and apples are still sold by the bushel in the United States. A bushel of wheat weighs 60 pounds. A bushel of corn weighs 56 pounds. A bushel of oats weighs 32 pounds. The volume is the same; the weight depends on the commodity. The grain markets in Chicago still quote prices per bushel. A French word for a small grain container became the backbone unit of American agriculture.