Editing Mile (section)

==Name {{anchor|Etymology}}==
The [[modern English]] word ''mile'' derives from [[Middle English]] ''{{lang|enm|myle}}'' and [[Old English]] ''{{lang|ang|mīl}}'', which was [[cognate]] with all other [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] terms for ''miles''. These derived from the [[Ellipsis (linguistics)#Nominal ellipsis|nominal ellipsis]] form of ''{{lang|la|mīlle passus}}'' 'mile' or ''{{lang|la|mīlia passuum}}'' 'miles', the Roman mile of one thousand [[pace (unit)|pace]]s.{{sfnp|OED|2002|loc="mile, ''n.<sup>1</sup>''"}}

The present [[#International|international mile]] is usually what is understood by the unqualified term ''mile''. When this distance needs to be distinguished from the nautical mile, the international mile may also be described as a land mile or statute mile.{{sfnp|AHD|2006|loc="mile, 1"}} In [[British English]], ''statute mile'' may refer to the present international mile or to any other form of [[#English|English mile]] since the [[Weights and Measures Acts (UK)#16th century|1593 Act of Parliament]], which set it as a distance of {{nowrap|1,760 yards}}. Under [[American law]], however, ''statute mile'' refers to the US survey mile.{{sfnp|Thompson|2008|loc=B.6.}} Foreign and historical units translated into English as ''miles'' usually employ a qualifier to describe the kind of mile being used but this may be omitted if it is obvious from the context, such as a discussion of the 2nd-century [[Antonine Itinerary]] describing its distances in terms of ''miles'' rather than ''Roman miles''.

===Abbreviation===
The mile has been variously abbreviated in English—with and without a trailing period—as "mi", "M", "ml", and "m".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.czasopismologistyka.pl/artykuly-naukowe/send/338-artykuly-na-plycie-cd-2/8932-weintrit-history-of-the-nautical-mile |title=History of the Nautical Mile |last=Weintrit |first=Adam |date=24 October 2019 |website=Logistyka |access-date=24 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301104131/https://www.czasopismologistyka.pl/artykuly-naukowe/send/338-artykuly-na-plycie-cd-2/8932-weintrit-history-of-the-nautical-mile |archive-date=1 March 2018 }}</ref> The American [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] now uses and recommends "mi" to avoid confusion with the SI metre (m) and millilitre (ml).{{sfnp|Butcher|2014|p=C-16}} However, derived units such as [[miles per hour]] or [[miles per gallon]] continue to be abbreviated as "mph" and "mpg" rather than "mi/h" and "mi/gal". In the United Kingdom, [[Road signs in the United Kingdom|road signs]] use "m" as the abbreviation for mile though height and width restrictions also use "m" as the symbol for the metre, which may be displayed alongside feet and inches.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307152/draft-tsrgd-schedules.pdf |title=Road traffic: The traffic signs regulations and general directions 2015 |publisher=[[Government of the United Kingdom]] |access-date=20 September 2018 |archive-date=21 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921040502/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307152/draft-tsrgd-schedules.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[BBC]] style holds that "there is no acceptable abbreviation for 'miles{{'"}} and so it should be spelled out when used in describing areas.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/journalism/article/art20130702112133541 "Numbers"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727165446/http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/journalism/article/art20130702112133541 |date=27 July 2018}} BBC</ref>