fathom
Use Fathom in a sentence
əm noun
1.
a unit of length equal to six feet (1.8 meters): used chiefly in nautical measurements. Abbreviation: fath
Origin:
before 900; Middle English fathme, Old English fæthm span of outstretched arms; cognate with German Faden six-foot measure, Old Norse fathmr; akin to patent
before 900; Middle English fathme, Old English fæthm span of outstretched arms; cognate with German Faden six-foot measure, Old Norse fathmr; akin to patent
Related forms
fath·om·a·ble, adjective
fath·om·er, noun
un·fath·om·a·ble, adjective
un·fath·omed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To fathom
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Fathom
is one of our favorite verbs.
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| to bark; yelp. |
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
fathom (ˈfæðəm) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a unit of length equal to six feet (1.829 metres), used to measure depths of water |
| 2. | mining a unit of volume usually equal to six cubic feet, used in measuring ore bodies |
| 3. | forestry a unit of volume equal to six cubic feet, used for measuring timber |
| —vb | |
| 4. | to measure the depth of, esp with a sounding line; sound |
| 5. | to penetrate (a mystery, problem, etc); discover the meaning of |
| [Old English fæthm; related to Old Frisian fethem outstretched arms, Old Norse fathmr embrace, Old High German fadum cubit, Latin patēre to gape] | |
| 'fathomable | |
| —adj | |
| 'fathomer | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
fathom
O.E. fæðm "length of the outstretched arm" (a measure of about six feet), also "arms, grasp," and, figuratively "power," from P.Gmc. *fathmaz "embrace" (cf. O.N. faðmr "embrace, bosom," O.S. fathmos "the outstretched arms," Du. vadem "a measure of six feet"), from PIE *pot-/*pet- denoting
"stretching out" (cf. Gk. petalon "leaf," L. patere "to be open"). The verb meaning of "take soundings" is c.1600; its figurative sense of "get to the bottom of, understand" is 1620s. Related: Fathomed; fathoming.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Easton
Bible Dictionary
Fathom definition
(Old A.S. faethm, "bosom," or the outstretched arms), a span of six feet (Acts 27:28). Gr. orguia (from orego, "I stretch"), the distance between the extremities of both arms fully stretched out.
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
fathom
old English measure of length, now standardized at 6 feet (1.83 metre), which has long been used as a nautical unit of depth. The longest of many units derived from an anatomical measurement, the fathom originated as the distance from the middle fingertip of one hand to the middle fingertip of the other hand of a large man holding his arms fully extended. The name comes from the Old English faedm or faethm, meaning outstretched arms
Learn more about fathom with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
He could not understand the temptation that had come to him nor could he fathom the reason for its coming.
Some outsiders might still believe they have savvy that even insiders can't fathom.
It was practical ends that impelled us, in these diseases, to fathom their origin and formation.
But then it must surely count as a private reference, difficult for the uninitiated to fathom.
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