Что (кто) такое Fathom - определение

UNIT OF LENGTH IN THE OLD IMPERIAL AND THE U.S. CUSTOMARY SYSTEMS

Fathoms; Fadom; Fathom (unit); Fathom (unit of length); Orguia; International fathom

fathom

I. n.

Six feet, two yards.

II. v. a.

Sound, try the depth of, measure by a sounding-line.

Divine, penetrate, reach, understand, comprehend.

fathom

¦ noun a unit of length equal to six feet (1.8 metres), chiefly used in reference to the depth of water.

¦ verb

1. [usu. with negative] understand (something) after much thought.

2. measure the depth of.

Derivatives

fathomable adjective

fathomless adjective

Word History

The original sense of the word fathom, in Old English, was 'the enclosure formed by the breast and arms'; fathoms were 'arms extended in an embrace', or 'outstretched arms'. From this the word came to represent a unit of measurement, based on the span of the outstretched arms to the tips of the fingers, later standardized to six feet. Other early units of measurement, such as the ell and the cubit, were similarly based on the length of the arm or forearm.

Fathom

·noun The measure or extant of one's capacity; depth, as of intellect; profundity; reach; penetration.

II. Fathom ·vt To encompass with the arms extended or encircling; to measure by throwing the arms about; to Span.

III. Fathom ·vt The measure by a sounding line; especially, to sound the depth of; to penetrate, measure, and comprehend; to get to the bottom of.

IV. Fathom ·noun A measure of length, containing six feet; the space to which a man can extend his arms;

- used chiefly in measuring cables, cordage, and the depth of navigable water by soundings.

Википедия

Fathom

A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems equal to 6 feet (1.8288 m), used especially for measuring the depth of water. The fathom is neither an International Standard (SI) unit, nor an internationally-accepted non-SI unit. Historically it was the maritime measure of depth in the English-speaking world but, apart from within the USA, charts now use metres.

There are two yards (6 feet) in an imperial fathom. Originally the span of a man's outstretched arms, the size of a fathom has varied slightly depending on whether it was defined as a thousandth of an (Admiralty) nautical mile or as a multiple of the imperial yard. Formerly, the term was used for any of several units of length varying around 5–5+1⁄2 feet (1.5–1.7 m).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fathom

Примеры произношения для Fathom