thin space

English

Etymology

From thin +‎ space. First use appears c. 1683 in the writings of Joseph Moxon.

Noun

thin space (plural thin spaces)

1. (letterpress typography) A metal block used to separate words, one fifth of an em in width.

   Synonyms: 5-to-the-em space, 5-em space

   Coordinate terms: thick space; em space, en space, word space

   • 1683, Joseph Moxon, Mechanick Exercises: Or, the Doctrine of Handy-Works. Applied to the art of Printing.‎^[1], volume 2, pages 240–41:

     If it be only a Single Letter or two that drops, he thruſts the end of his Bodkin between every Letter of that Word, till he comes to a Space: and then perhaps by forcing thoſe Letters closer, he may have room to put in another Space or a Thin Space; which if he cannot do, and he finds the Space ſtand Looſe in the Form; he with the Point of his Bodkin picks the Space up and bows it a little; which bowing makes the Letters on each ſide of the Space keep their parallel diſtance; for by its Spring it thruſts the Letters that were cloſed with the end of the Bodkin to their adjunct Letters, that needed no cloſing.

2. (typography) In digital text, a character representing a thin space.

   Synonyms: 5-to-the-em space, 5-em space

   Coordinate terms: thick space; em space, en space, no-break space, word space, zero-width space

   • 2002, Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style (version 2.5), Vancouver, Hartley & Marks, →ISBN, p 43:

     All you may see on the keyboard is a space bar, but typographers use several invisible characters: the word space, fixed spaces of various sizes (em space, en space, thin space, figure space, etc) and a hard space or no-break space.

Anagrams

• cathepsin, pinches at