thumb

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Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Synonyms 1.3.2 Hypernyms 1.3.3 Hyponyms 1.3.4 Derived terms 1.3.5 Translations 1.4 Verb 1.4.1 Synonyms 1.4.2 Derived terms

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From Old English þūma, from Proto-Germanic, from Proto-Indo-European *tūmon- (“‘thick finger’”), from Proto-Indo-European *tū- (“‘swell’”) (compare Latin tumere). Cognate with Dutch duim, German Daumen.

[edit] Pronunciation

•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

  Rhymes: -ʌm

[edit] Noun

thumb (plural thumbs)

1. The short thick digit of the hand that for humans has the most mobility and can be made to oppose (moved to touch) all of the other fingers.
2. (computing) The part of a slider that may be moved linearly along the slider.
3. (colloquial) (Abbreviation of) thumbnail (picture).

[edit] Synonyms

• (digit): pollex (technical), thumby (colloquial)

[edit] Hypernyms

• (digit): digit, finger

[edit] Hyponyms

• (digit): opposable thumb

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Translations

[edit] Verb

to thumb (third-person singular simple present thumbs, present participle thumbing, simple past and past participle thumbed)

1. (transitive) To touch with the thumb.
2. (transitive, with through) To turn the pages of (a book) in order to read it cursorily.

   I thumbed through the book and decided not to bother reading it all.

[edit] Synonyms

• (to turn pages): browse, leaf, page, peruse

[edit] Derived terms