fathom

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See also: faþom

English[edit]

WOTD – 25 June 2022

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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],[2] 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”).[3]

Sense 1 (“unit for water depth”) is derived from sense 3.1 (“act of stretching out one’s arms away from the sides of the torso”).

cognates

Noun[edit]

fathom (plural fathoms)

  1. (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.
  2. (figuratively)
    1. (chiefly in the plural) An unspecified depth.
    2. (archaic or obsolete) Depth of insight; mental reach or scope.
  3. (obsolete)
    1. 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.
    2. Someone or something that is embraced.
    3. (figuratively) Control, grasp.
Usage notes[edit]

At sea, the fathom is exclusively a measure of water depth. Therefore, a boat 1,000 fathoms offshore is not 6,000 feet from the shore, but rather at the nearest point to shore where the water depth is 6,000 feet.

Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
distance between an adult man’s arms stretched out away from the sides of his torso; unit of length for water depth equivalent to six feet (about 1.8 m) — See also translations at brace,‎ toise
See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English fathmen, fadmen (“to encircle (something) with the arms, embrace; to feel, grope; to measure by the ell (or perhaps the fathom)”) [and other forms],[4] from Old English fæðmian, from Proto-Germanic *faþmōjan, from *faþm (“outstretched arms, embrace; fathom (unit of measurement)”):[5] see further at etymology 1.

cognates

Verb[edit]

fathom (third-person singular simple present fathoms, present participle fathoming, simple past and past participle fathomed)

  1. (transitive)
    1. (also figuratively) To measure the depth of (water); to take a sounding of; to sound.
    2. (archaic or obsolete) To encircle (someone or something) with outstretched arms; specifically, to measure the circumference or (rare) length of something.
    3. (figuratively) Often followed by out: to deeply understand (someone or something); to get to the bottom of.
      Synonyms: figure out, puzzle out, work out
      Coordinate term: grok
      I can’t for the life of me fathom what this means.
      • 2018 April 10, Daniel Taylor, “Liverpool go through after Mohamed Salah stops Manchester City fightback”, in The Guardian (London)‎[2]:
        Otamendi’s selection ahead of Vincent Kompany was difficult to fathom and, apart from Fernandinho, City’s line-up was otherwise filled with attacking players.
    4. (obsolete) To embrace (someone or something).
  2. (intransitive)
    1. To measure a depth; to sound.
    2. (figuratively) To conduct an examination or inquiry; to investigate.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
to measure the depth of (water) — See also translations at sound
to measure a depth — See also translations at sound
to conduct an examination or inquiry — see investigate

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bingham, Caleb (1808), “Improprieties in Pronunciation, common among the people of New-England”, in The Child's Companion; Being a Conciſe Spelling-book […] ‎[1], 12th edition, Boston: Manning & Loring, →OCLC, page 75.
  2. ^ “fadme, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  3. ^ “fathom, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022; “fathom, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  4. ^ “fadmen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  5. ^ “fathom, v.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022; “fathom, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading[edit]

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