finger
Contents
English[edit]

Etymology[edit]
From Middle English fynger, finger, from Old English finger (“finger”), from Proto-Germanic *fingraz (“finger”) (compare West Frisian finger, Low German/German Finger, Dutch vinger, Danish finger), from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós, *penkʷ-ros 'fifth' (compare Old Irish cóicer 'set of five people', Old Armenian հինգեր-որդ (hinger-ord, “fifth”)), from *pénkʷe (“five”). More at five.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (US) enPR: fĭngʹ-gər, IPA(key): /ˈfɪŋɡɚ/
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈfɪŋɡə/
- (Scots) IPA(key): /ˈfɪŋəɹ/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɪŋɡə(ɹ)
- Hyphenation: fin‧ger
Noun[edit]
finger (plural fingers)
- (anatomy) A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb.
- Humans have two hands and ten fingers. Each hand has one thumb and four fingers.
- 1916, The Finger Talk of Chicago's Wheat-Pit, Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 89, p. 81:
- Each finger extended represents one-eighth of a cent. Thus when all four fingers and the thumb are extended, all being spread out from one another, it means five-eighths.
- 2014 March 29, “Don’t cramp my style”, in The Economist, volume 410, number 8880:
- In 1993 [Victor Candia] noticed that the fingers of his left hand were starting to curl up as he played [on his guitar]. It felt to him as if a magnet in his palm were preventing him from opening them. A week later, he could not play at all.
- (zoology) Similar or similar-looking extremities in other animals, particularly:
- 1915, Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson, The How and Why Library, Life, Section VIII,
- The starfish eats with five fingers.
- 1915, Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson, The How and Why Library, Life, Section VIII,
- Something similar in shape to the human finger, particularly:
- 1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion, p. 250:
- ...spires whose ‘silent finger points to Heaven’...
- (cooking) Finger-shaped pieces of food.
- chocolate fingers; fish fingers; cheese fingers
- (chemistry) A tube extending from a sealed system, or sometimes into one in the case of a cold finger.
- 1996, Susan Trumbore, Mass Spectrometry of Soils, p. 318:
- An oven is placed over the finger with Co catalyst (oven temperature will depend on whether a quartz or Pyrex finger is used, see Ref. 24), and a cold finger (usually a copper rod immersed in dry ice–isopropanol slurry) is placed on the other tube.
- 1996, Susan Trumbore, Mass Spectrometry of Soils, p. 318:
- (Britain regional, botany, usually in plural, obsolete) Synonym of foxglove (D. purpurea).
- 1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion, p. 250:
- Something similarly extending, (especially) from a larger body, particularly:
- a finger of land; a finger of smoke
- (botany) Various protruding plant structures, as a banana from its hand.
- (anatomy, obsolete) A lobe of the liver.
- (historical) The teeth parallel to the blade of a scythe, fitted to a wooden frame called a crade.
- The projections of a reaper or mower which similarly separate the stalks for cutting.
- (nautical) Clipping of finger pier: a shorter, narrower pier projecting from a larger dock.
- (aviation) Synonym of jet bridge: the narrow elevated walkway connecting a plane to an airport.
- Something similar in function or agency to the human finger, (usually) with regard to touching, grasping, or pointing.
- 1611, Bible (KJV), Exodus 8:19:
- The Magicians said vnto Pharaoh; This is the finger of God.
- (obsolete) Synonym of hand, the part of a clock pointing to the hour, minute, or second.
- (US, obsolete slang) A policeman or prison guard.
- (US, rare slang) An informer to the police, (especially) one who identifies a criminal during a lineup.
- (US, rare slang) A criminal who scouts for prospective victims and targets or who performs reconnaissance before a crime.
- 1611, Bible (KJV), Exodus 8:19:
- (units of measure) Various units of measure based or notionally based on the adult human finger, particularly
- (historical) Synonym of digit: former units of measure notionally based on its width but variously standardized, (especially) the English digit of 1⁄16 foot (about 1.9 cm).
- (Can we date this quote?) Bishop John Wilkins
- a piece of steel three fingers thick
- (Can we date this quote?) Bishop John Wilkins
- (historical) A unit of length notionally based on the length of an adult human's middle finger, standardized as 4½ inches (11.43 cm).
- (historical) Synonym of digit: 1⁄12 the observed diameter of the sun or moon, (especially) with regard to eclipses.
- (originally US) An informal measure of alcohol based on its height in a given glass compared to the width of the pourer's fingers while holding it.
- Gimme three fingers of bourbon.
- (historical) Synonym of digit: former units of measure notionally based on its width but variously standardized, (especially) the English digit of 1⁄16 foot (about 1.9 cm).
- (fashion) A part of a glove intended to cover a finger.
- (informal, obsolete) Skill in the use of the fingers, as in playing upon a musical instrument.
- (Can we date this quote?) Thomas Busby
- She has a good finger.
- (Can we date this quote?) Thomas Busby
- (informal, rare) Someone skilled in the use of their fingers, (especially) a pickpocket.
- (Britain slang) A person.
- A chicken finger.
- 2014, Laurie David, The Family Cooks
- By now, we hope you have said “no” to processed nuggets and fingers. Instead, how about taking some real chicken, tossing it with real eggs, a little tangy mustard, and a crunchy quinoa coating?
- 2014, Laurie David, The Family Cooks
- (especially in the phrase 'give someone the finger') An obscene or insulting gesture made by raising one's middle finger towards someone with the palm of one's hand facing inwards.
Synonyms[edit]
- (anatomy): See Thesaurus:finger
- (zoology): toe (when on four legs); claw, talon (usually sharp)
- (finger-shaped objects): tendril (in plants)
- (airport walkway): See jet bridge
- (finger width): See digit
- (slang for police informer): See Thesaurus:informant
- (skill with the fingers): fingering technique; touch
- (British slang for person): bloke, lad, boy, guv
Hyponyms[edit]
- (anatomy): index finger, forefinger; middle finger; ring finger; little finger, pinkie; thumb, hallux
Derived terms[edit]
- all fingers and thumbs
- at one's fingertips
- bring up on the finger
- burn one's fingers
- butterfingers
- click of the fingers
- cross one's fingers
- devil's fingers
- dip one's finger in
- dog's fingers
- easy as kiss my finger
- fat-finger
- finger ache
- finger alphabet
- finger and thumb
- finger and toe
- fingerbang, finger-bang, finger bang
- finger-bar
- finger-beam
- finger berry
- finger biscuit
- fingerboard
- finger bone
- finger bowl
- finger bread
- fingerbreadth, finger-breadth, finger breadth
- finger brush
- finger buffet
- finger cherry
- finger chip
- finger-click
- finger-clicking
- finger-cold
- finger-comb
- finger-combed
- finger coral
- finger counting
- finger crotch
- finger cymbal
- finger-director
- finger dry, finger-dry
- finger-dried
- finger-drying
- fingered
- finger exercise
- finger-fed
- finger fern
- finger fillip
- finger fish
- finger flower
- finger food
- fingerfuck, finger-fuck, finger fuck
- finger game
- finger glass
- finger grass
- finger grip
- finger guard
- finger hole
- finger impression
- fingering
- finger joint
- finger lake
- finger language
- finger-length
- finger-licking
- finger-light
- finger lime
- fingerling
- finger lith
- finger-loping
- finger man
- fingermark, finger mark
- finger-marked
- fingermeal
- finger millet
- finger mirror
- finger muffin
- finger neb
- fingernail
- finger nut
- finger orchis
- fingerpaint, finger-paint, finger paint
- finger painting
- finger-parted
- finger passage
- finger piano
- finger pick
- fingerpicking
- finger-piece
- finger pier
- finger pillory
- fingerplate
- finger plum
- finger-pop
- finger-popping
- fingerpost, finger post
- finger prayer book
- finger prick
- fingerprint
- finger puff
- finger puppet
- finger-reading
- finger ring, finger-roll
- finger roll
- finger root
- finger sandwich
- fingersbreadth, finger's-breadth
- finger screw
- fingers and thumbs
- fingers and toes
- fingers crossed
- finger-shade
- finger shell
- finger shield
- fingersmith
- finger-snap
- finger-snapping
- finger speech
- fingerspell
- fingerspelling
- finger spin
- finger-spinner
- finger splint
- finger sponge
- fingerstall
- finger steel
- finger stick
- finger stocks
- fingers were made before forks
- finger-talk
- finger talking, finger-talking
- finger tap
- finger-tapping
- finger-tight
- fingertip
- finger-tray
- finger-wag
- finger-wagging
- finger watch
- finger wave
- finger-waving
- finger weaving
- fish finger
- five-finger
- five-finger discount
- five-finger exercise
- forefinger
- get one's finger out
- get one's fingers burnt
- get one's fingers onto
- give the finger
- give the fingers
- hang long betwixt one's fingers
- hang long betwixt the fingers
- have a fine finger
- have a finger in
- have a finger in every pie
- have green fingers
- have fingers made of lime-twigs
- have more of in one's finger
- have one's finger on the pulse
- have one's fingers in many pies
- have one's fingers in the till
- have the most fingers
- index finger
- in one's fingers
- king's finger
- ladies' fingers
- ladyfinger
- lay a finger on
- let one's fingers do the walking
- lift a finger
- little finger
- long finger
- look through one's fingers
- lords' and ladies' fingers
- middle finger
- move a finger
- old finger
- one's fingers are all thumbs
- one's fingers itch
- out of one's fingers
- pinkie finger
- point the finger at
- pull one's finger on
- pull one's finger out
- put a finger to the wind
- put one's finger in a hole
- put one's finger in the fire
- put one's finger in the dyke
- put one's finger on
- put on the long finger
- put the finger on
- putty in someone's fingers
- raise a finger
- raise a finger against
- ring finger
- skirt finger
- slip through one's fingers
- snap of the fingers
- snap one's fingers
- split finger
- stick two fingers up
- sticky fingers
- stir a finger
- suck out of one's finger
- trigger finger
- two fingers
- two-finger salute
- wag a finger
- wag one's finger
- with a wet finger
- within one's fingers
- with one's finger in one's mouth
- with one's finger up one's ass
- work one's fingers to the bone
- wrap around one's fingers
- zinc finger
Translations[edit]
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Verb[edit]
finger (third-person singular simple present fingers, present participle fingering, simple past and past participle fingered)
- (transitive) To identify or point out. Also put the finger on. To report to or identify for the authorities, rat on, rat out, squeal on, tattle on, turn in, to finger.
- 2018 January, “Wild Things”, in North and South:
- I'm rose-tinting my teenage years, for sure, but Twenge isn't the only generational-change researcher to finger the ubiquitous smartphone for contributing to higher rates of teen depression and anxiety.
- (transitive) To poke or probe with a finger or fingers.
- c. 1589–1593, Shakespeare, William, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 1, Scene 2:
- Let the papers lie; / You would be fingering them to anger me.
- 1898, H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds
- "They have done a foolish thing," said I, fingering my wineglass.
- 2009, Win Blevins, Dreams Beneath Your Feet, page 135:
- Feeling tender around the face, she fingered herself gingerly. Yes, it was swollen, very sore around the cheekbones, with dried blood on the outsides of her eye sockets, below her nostrils, and below one ear.
- (transitive) To use the fingers to penetrate and sexually stimulate one's own or another person's vagina or anus; to fingerbang
- 2007, Madeline Bastinado, A Talent for Surrender, page 201:
- She fingered him, spreading the gel and sliding the tip of her finger inside him.
- 2008, Thomas Wainwright (editor), Erotic Tales, page 56:
- She smiled, a look of amazement on her face, as if thinking that maybe this was the cock that she had been fantasizing about just now, as she fingered herself to a massive, body-engulfing orgasm.
- 2007, Madeline Bastinado, A Talent for Surrender, page 201:
- (transitive, music) To use specified finger positions in producing notes on a musical instrument.
- (transitive, music) To provide instructions in written music as to which fingers are to be used to produce particular notes or passages.
- (transitive, computing) To query (a user's status) using the Finger protocol.
- 1996, "Yves Bellefeuille", List of useful freeware, comp.archives.msdos.d, Usenet:
- PGP mail welcome (finger me for my key).
- 1996, "Yves Bellefeuille", List of useful freeware, comp.archives.msdos.d, Usenet:
- (obsolete) To steal; to purloin.
- c. 1599–1602, Shakespeare, William, Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 2:
- in the dark / Groped I to find out them, had my desire, / Fingered their packet, and in fine withdrew / To mine own room again,
- (transitive, obsolete) To execute, as any delicate work.
Synonyms[edit]
- (to identify or point out): inform, grass up, snitch; See also Thesaurus:rat out
- (sexual): fingerbang, fingerfuck
Translations[edit]
See also[edit]
- artiodactyl
- dactyl
- dactylography
- dactylology
- fingle
- fist
- macrodactyly
- perissodactyl
- prestidigitation
- pterodactyl
References[edit]
- "finger, n., in the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Anagrams[edit]
Danish[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
finger c (singular definite fingeren, plural indefinite fingre)
Inflection[edit]
Further reading[edit]
finger on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia da
Etymology 2[edit]
See fingere (“to simulate”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
finger or fingér
Middle English[edit]
Noun[edit]
finger
- Alternative form of fynger
Norwegian Bokmål[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós.
Noun[edit]
finger m (definite singular fingeren, indefinite plural fingre or fingrer, definite plural fingrene)
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
References[edit]
- “finger” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós.
Noun[edit]
finger m (definite singular fingeren, indefinite plural fingrar, definite plural fingrane)
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
References[edit]
- “finger” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Old English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Proto-Germanic *fingraz, which is from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós, *penkʷ-ros, a suffixed form of *pénkʷe (“five”). Compare Old Frisian finger, Old Saxon fingar, Old High German fingar, Old Norse fingr, Gothic 𐍆𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍂𐍃 (figgrs).
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
finger m
Declension[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
- sċytefinger
- sċytelfinger
- lēawfinger
- middelfinger
- hringfinger
- lǣċefinger
- goldfinger
- lȳtel finger
- ēarfinger
- lǣst finger
- fingerlīċ
Descendants[edit]
Old Frisian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *penkʷrós.
Noun[edit]
finger m
Declension[edit]
Descendants[edit]
Old Swedish[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
finger m
Declension[edit]
singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | finger | fingrin | finger | fingrini(r), -rene(r) |
accusative | finger | fingrin | finger | fingrina, -rena |
dative | fingri, -e | fingrinum, -enom | fingrum, -om | fingrumin, -omen |
genitive | fingers | fingersins | fingra | fingranna |
or (with neuter gender)
singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | finger | fingrit | finger | fingrin |
accusative | finger | fingrit | finger | fingrin |
dative | fingri, -e | fingrinu, -eno | fingrum, -om | fingrumin, -omen |
genitive | fingers | fingersins | fingra | fingranna |
Descendants[edit]
- Swedish: finger
Spanish[edit]
Noun[edit]
finger m (plural fingeres)
- (food) finger
Swedish[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old Swedish finger, from Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
finger n, c
Declension[edit]
Declension of finger | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | finger | fingret | fingrar | fingrarna |
Genitive | fingers | fingrets | fingrars | fingrarnas |
Declension of finger | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | finger | fingern | fingrar | fingrarna |
Genitive | fingers | fingerns | fingrars | fingrarnas |
Usage notes[edit]
The neuter declension is much more common than the common declination.
Derived terms[edit]
- fingeravtryck
- fingerblomma
- fingerborg
- fingerbred
- fingerbredd
- fingerböld
- fingerformad
- fingerfärdig
- fingerfärdighet
- fingerfärg
- fingerhål
- fingerkrok
- fingerled
- fingerlik
- fingernagel
- fingerring
- fingerskiva
- fingerspets
- fingersvamp
- fingersättning
- fingertopp
- fingertuta
- fingervante
- fingervarm
- fingervisning
- fingerört
- fingra
- fingrad
- lillfinger
- långfinger
- pekfinger
- ringfinger
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- finger in Svenska Akademiens ordlista över svenska språket (13th ed., online)
West Frisian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old Frisian finger, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós. Compare English finger, Dutch vinger, Low German and German Finger, Danish finger.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
finger c (plural fingers)
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Anatomy
- English terms with quotations
- en:Zoology
- en:Cooking
- English terms with usage examples
- en:Chemistry
- British English
- Regional English
- en:Botany
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English terms with historical senses
- en:Nautical
- English clippings
- en:Aviation
- American English
- English slang
- English terms with rare senses
- en:Fashion
- English informal terms
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- en:Music
- en:Computing
- English basic words
- en:Fingers
- Danish terms derived from Old Norse
- Danish terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Danish terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Danish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Danish lemmas
- Danish nouns
- Danish non-lemma forms
- Danish verb forms
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Old Norse
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Norwegian Bokmål lemmas
- Norwegian Bokmål nouns
- nb:Anatomy
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from Old Norse
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Norwegian Nynorsk lemmas
- Norwegian Nynorsk nouns
- nn:Anatomy
- Old English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Old English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Old English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Old English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Old English lemmas
- Old English nouns
- Old English a-stem nouns
- ang:Anatomy
- Old Frisian terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Old Frisian terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Old Frisian terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- Old Frisian terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Old Frisian lemmas
- Old Frisian nouns
- Old Frisian a-stem nouns
- Old Swedish terms inherited from Old Norse
- Old Swedish terms derived from Old Norse
- Old Swedish terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Old Swedish terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Old Swedish lemmas
- Old Swedish nouns
- Old Swedish consonant stem nouns
- Old Swedish a-stem nouns
- Spanish lemmas
- Spanish nouns
- Swedish terms inherited from Old Swedish
- Swedish terms derived from Old Swedish
- Swedish terms inherited from Old Norse
- Swedish terms derived from Old Norse
- Swedish terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Swedish terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Swedish terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- Swedish terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Swedish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Swedish terms with audio links
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- sv:Anatomy
- West Frisian terms derived from Old Frisian
- West Frisian terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- West Frisian terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- West Frisian terms with IPA pronunciation
- West Frisian lemmas
- West Frisian nouns
- fy:Anatomy