fingerbreadth

Small measuring unit

A fingerbreadth is a unit of measurement equal to the width of a finger, roughly three-quarters of an inch.

The term appears in historical and biblical contexts as an imprecise but intuitive measure: The water rose a fingerbreadth.

Like handspan, it belongs to a family of body-based measurements largely replaced by standardized units.

measurement

inch

Twelfth of a foot

thickness · digit · approximation · estimate · gap · clearance · margin · spacing · interval

historical-units

cubit

Arm-based length unit

  • palmHand's flat interior
  • handGrasping body part
  • spanDistance between endpoints

fathom · ell · digit · nail · barleycorn · pace · foot · yard · rod · furlong

biblical

scripture

Sacred religious writings

  • ExodusMass departure from a place
  • EzekielHebrew prophet in captivity
  • templeSacred worship structure

tabernacle · measurement · cubit · palm · sacred · ark · altar · vessel · priestly · ancient

precision

tolerance

Willingness to accept difference

calibration · spacing · increment · exactness · specification · sliver · fraction

Categories
Opposites
measurement scale/magnitude

fingerbreadthmile

5,280 feet

league · light-year · parsec · astronomical unit · kilometer

measurement precision/standardization

fingerbreadthmillimeter

Thousandth of a meter

micrometer · nanometer · SI unit · angstrom · meter

Family

finger, breadth, broad, fingerprint, fingernail, fingered, fingertip, fingerless, fingerling

Familiarity
Top 1,000,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G