solive [French]

In France, at least as early as the 16th century – 19th century, a unit of volume used to describe a quantity of sawn lumber, similar in concept to the board foot. Also called a pièce. It = 3 cubic pied = 1/8 somme (about 0.10283 stere). Upon metrification (by the law of 13 brumaire an IX) the solive was made = 1/10 of a stere.

The solive was divided into 6 pieds de solive, the pied de solive into 12 pouces de solive, the pouce de solive into 12 lignes de solive; all of these were measures of volume. So 1 solive = 6 pieds de solive = 72 pouces de solive = 144 lignes de solive. Alternatively, in Normandy the solive was divided into 432 chevilles, each of 12 cubic pouce.

Of course the volume of a board can be found by multiplying the dimensions in pouce and dividing the result by 11664, the number of cubic pouces in 3 cubic pieds. Doursther describes how workers actually did it: Imagine a board 12 pied long, 9 pouce wide and 9 pouce thick. Multiply the pied by the pouce, divide the result by 6, and divide that result by 72. 12 × 9 × 9 = 972; a sixtieth of that number is 162. Divide by 72, and the result is 2 with a remainder of 18, which is in pouce de solive, so the board is 2 solive, 18 pouce de solive.

One hundred solive were called a grand cent.

Doursther, 1840. Page 501.