Wiktionary:Word of the day/2022/June 25

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fathom n

(chiefly nautical, historical) Originally, the distance between an adult man's arms stretched out away from the sides of his torso so that they make a straight line perpendicular to his body, measured from the tips of the longest fingers of each hand, generally reckoned to be six feet (about 1.8 metres); subsequently used as a unit for water depth but now generally replaced by the metre. (figuratively) (chiefly in the plural) An unspecified depth. (archaic or obsolete) Depth of insight; mental reach or scope. (obsolete) 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. Someone or something that is embraced. (figuratively) Control, grasp. fathom v (transitive) (also figuratively) To measure the depth of (water); to take a sounding of; to sound. (archaic or obsolete) To encircle (someone or something) with outstretched arms; specifically, to measure the circumference or (rare) length of something. (figuratively) Often followed by out: to deeply understand (someone or something); to get to the bottom of. (obsolete) To embrace (someone or something). (intransitive) To measure a depth; to sound. (figuratively) To conduct an examination or inquiry; to investigate. Today is the Day of the Seafarer, which was established by the International Maritime Organization in 2010 and recognized by the United Nations to acknowledge the contributions made by seafarers to international seaborne trade, the world economy, and civil society.

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