fathom
UK /ˈfað(ə)m/ · US /ˈfæðəm/ noun, verb
Forms fathoms fathoming fathomed
- noun (chiefly nautical, historical, US) A man's armspan, generally reckoned to be six feet (about 1.8 metres). Later used to measure the depth of water, but now generally replaced by the metre outside American usage.
- noun An internationally standardized version of this unit, the international fathom (= 1.8288 metres = 6 feet).
- noun (nautical, US) A measure of distance to shore: the nearest point to shore at which the water depth is the value quoted. “After we'd rowed for an hour, we found ourselves stranded ten fathoms from shore.”
- noun (chiefly in the plural) An unspecified depth.
- noun (archaic or obsolete) Depth of insight; mental reach or scope.
- noun The act of stretching out one's arms away from the sides of the torso so that they make a straight line perpendicular to the body.
- noun Someone or something that is embraced.
- noun (figuratively) Control, grasp.
- verb (also figurative) To measure the depth of (water); to take a sounding of; to sound.
- verb (archaic or obsolete) To encircle (someone or something) with outstretched arms; specifically, to measure the circumference or (rare) length of something.
- verb (figurative) Often followed by out: to deeply understand (someone or something); to get to the bottom of. “I can’t for the life of me fathom what this means.”
- verb (obsolete) To embrace (someone or something).
- verb To measure a depth; to sound.
- verb (figurative) To conduct an examination or inquiry; to investigate.
Synonyms
stade toise brace braza estadio orguia figure out puzzle out work out fthm penetrate bottom sound
Etymology
From Middle English fathome, fadom, fadme (“unit of length of about six feet; depth of six feet for nautical soundings; (loosely) cubit; ell”) [and other forms], from Old English fæþm, fæþme (“encircling or outstretched arms, bosom, embrace; envelopment; control, grasp, power; fathom (unit of measurement); cubit”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *faþm (“outstretched arms, embrace; fathom (unit of measurement)”), from Proto-Germanic *faþmaz (“outstretched arms, embrace; fathom (unit of measurement)”), from Proto-Indo-European *pet-, *peth₂- (“to spread out; to fly”).
* Ancient Greek πέταλος (pétalos, “broad; flat”), πετᾰ́ννῡμῐ (petắnnūmĭ, “to open; to spread out; to be dispersed or scattered”) (whence English petal)
* Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌸𐌰 (faþa, “fench; hedge”)
* Latin pateō (“to extend, increase; to be accessible, attainable, open; to be exposed, vulnerable”)
* Low German fadem, faem (“cubit; thread”)
* Middle Dutch vadem (modern Dutch vaam, vadem (“fathom”))
* Norwegian Bokmål favn (“an embrace; a fathom”)
* Old Frisian fethm (“outstretched arms”)
* Old High German fadam, fadum (“cubit”) (Middle High German vade (“enclosure”), vadem, vaden, modern German Faden (“fathom; filament, thread”))
* Old Norse faþmr (Danish favn (“an embrace; a fathom”), Icelandic faðmur (“an embrace”), Swedish famn (“the arms, bosom; an embrace”))
* Old Welsh etem (“thread”)
Webster’s 1913
- 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.
- noun The measure or extant of one's capacity; depth, as of intellect; profundity; reach; penetration. [R.]
- verb To encompass with the arms extended or encircling; to measure by throwing the arms about; to span. [Obs.] Purchas.
- verb The measure by a sounding line; especially, to sound the depth of; to penetrate, measure, and comprehend; to get to the bottom of. Dryden.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “fathom”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details