cubit

See also: Cubit and cúbit

English

Etymology

From Middle English cubite, from Latin cubitum (“elbow, cubit”). Doublet of cubitus, covado, and codo.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkjuː.bɪt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) enPR: kyo͞o'bĭt, IPA^(key): /ˈkju.bɪt/
• Rhymes: -uːbɪt
• Homophone: qubit

Noun

cubit (plural cubits)

1. The distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger used as an informal unit of length.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 6:27:

     Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

2. (historical) Any of various units of length approximating this distance, usually around 35–60 cm.
3. (anatomy, archaic) Synonym of ulna, the bone of the human forearm.

Usage notes

• In English, most commonly encountered in biblical Hebrew measures based on the shorter of the two Egyptian cubits, although the term is also used broadly for other units between the length of a foot and a yard. These may be clarified with a preceding adjective: Greek cubit, Roman cubit, etc.

Synonyms

• (unit of length): ell (now properly a separate unit), coudee (obsolete)

Hyponyms

• arshin, Russian cubit
• codo, Spanish cubit
• covado, Portuguese cubit
• dira (modern Middle Eastern contexts)
• royal cubit (ancient Egypt)

Derived terms

• cubital
• cubitocarpal
• cubitoradial

Related terms

• cubitus
• qubit

Translations

Any of various units of length approximating the forearm and hand

• Arabic: ذِرَاع m (ḏirāʕ)
• Armenian: կանգուն (hy) (kangun)
• Bats: დოლ (dol)
• Bulgarian: аршин (bg) m (aršin), лакът (bg) m (lakǎt)
• Burmese: တောင် (my) (taung)
• Catalan: colze (ca) m, colzo (ca) m, colzada f
• Chechen: дол (dol)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 肘 (zh) (zhǒu)

• Czech: loket (cs) m
• Danish: alen c
• Dutch: el (nl) c
• Egyptian: (mḥ m)
• Esperanto: ulno
• Estonian: küünar
• Finnish: kyynärä (fi)
• French: coudée (fr) f
• Galician: ulna (gl) f
• Georgian: წყრთა (ka) (c̣q̇rta)

  Old Georgian: წყრთაჲ (c̣q̇rtay)

• German: Elle (de) f
• Greek: πήχης (el) m (píchis)

  Ancient: πῆχυς m (pêkhus)

• Hebrew: אַמָּה (he) f ('amá)
• Hungarian: sing (hu)
• Indonesian: dzira'
• Ingush: дол (dol)
• Latin: cubitum n, cubitus m
• Macedonian: лакт m (lakt), ла́кот m (lákot), а́ршин m (áršin)
• Malay: hasta (ms)
• Maori: tuke
• Mingrelian: ჭყითა (č̣q̇ita)
• Ottoman Turkish: آرش (arş)
• Persian: ارش (fa) (arš)
• Portuguese: côvado (pt) m
• Russian: ло́коть (ru) m (lókotʹ)
• Spanish: codo (es) m
• Svan: ჭითხ (č̣itx)
• Swahili: dhiraa, mkono (sw)
• Swedish: aln (sv) c
• Tagalog: siko
• Telugu: మూర (te) (mūra)
• Ugaritic: 𐎀𐎎𐎚 (ảmt)
• Yiddish: אייל f (eyl)
• Zyphe: dong

Albanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡subit/

Noun

cubit

1. definite dative/ablative singular of cub

Malay

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• (schwa-variety) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃubet/ [ˈt͡ʃu.bet̪̚]
  • Rhymes: -ubet, -bet, -et

• (Baku) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃubit/ [ˈt͡ʃu.bit̪̚]
  • Rhymes: -ubit, -bit, -it
• Hyphenation: cu‧bit

Verb

cubit (Jawi spelling چوبيت)

1. to pinch (to squeeze a small amount of skin)

Descendants

• → Macanese: chubí

Middle English

Noun

cubit

1. alternative form of cubite