FATHOM


Meaning of FATHOM in English

■ 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

~able adjective

~less adjective

Word History

The original sense of the word ~ , in Old English, was 'the enclosure formed by the breast and arms'; ~s 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.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.