The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Vara \Va"ra\, n. [Sp. See 1st Vare.] A Spanish measure of length equal to about one yard. The vara now in use equals 33.385 inches. --Johnson's Cyc. [1913 Webster]WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
vara n 1: a Spanish unit of length (about a yard) having different values in different localities