different between finger vs tail

English

Etymology

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 *pénk?rós, *penk?-ros (“fifth”) (compare Old Irish cóicer (“set of five people”), Old Armenian ??????-??? (hinger-ord, “fifth”)), from *pénk?e (“five”). More at five.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?f????/
• (General American) enPR: f?ng?-g?r, IPA^(key): /?f????/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /?f????/
• Rhymes: -????(?)
• Hyphenation: fin?ger

Noun

finger (plural fingers)

1. (anatomy) A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb.
   • 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.
2. (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.

   1. The lower, smaller segment of an arthropod claw.
   2. One of the supporting structures of wings in birds, bats, etc. evolved from earlier toes or fingers.
   3. One of the slender bony structures before the pectoral fins of gurnards and sea robins (Triglidae).
3. Something similar in shape to the human finger, particularly:
   • 1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion, p. 250:

     ...spires whose ‘silent finger points to Heaven’...

   1. (cooking) Finger-shaped pieces of food.
      • 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?

   2. (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.

   3. (Britain regional, botany, usually in in the plural, obsolete) Synonym of foxglove (D. purpurea).
4. Something similarly extending, (especially) from a larger body, particularly:

   a finger of land; a finger of smoke

   1. (botany) Various protruding plant structures, as a banana from its hand.
   2. (anatomy, obsolete) A lobe of the liver.
   3. (historical) The teeth parallel to the blade of a scythe, fitted to a wooden frame called a crade.
   4. The projections of a reaper or mower which similarly separate the stalks for cutting.
   5. (nautical) Clipping of finger pier: a shorter, narrower pier projecting from a larger dock.
   6. (aviation) Synonym of jet bridge: the narrow elevated walkway connecting a plane to an airport.
5. 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.

   1. (obsolete) Synonym of hand, the part of a clock pointing to the hour, minute, or second.
   2. (US, obsolete slang) A policeman or prison guard.
   3. (US, rare slang) An informer to the police, (especially) one who identifies a criminal during a lineup.
   4. (US, rare slang) A criminal who scouts for prospective victims and targets or who performs reconnaissance before a crime.
   5. (figuratively) That which points; an indicator, as of guilt, blame, or suspicion.

      The finger of suspicion pointed clearly at the hotel manager.

6. (units of measure) Various units of measure based or notionally based on the adult human finger, particularly
   1. (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).
      • 1648, John Wilkins, Mathematical Magick

        a piece of steel three fingers thick

   2. (historical) A unit of length notionally based on the length of an adult human's middle finger, standardized as 4½ inches (11.43 cm).
   3. (historical) Synonym of digit: ¹?₁₂ the observed diameter of the sun or moon, (especially) with regard to eclipses.
   4. (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.

7. (fashion) A part of a glove intended to cover a finger.
8. (informal, obsolete) Skill in the use of the fingers, as in playing upon a musical instrument.
   • 1786, Thomas Busby, Musical Dictionary

     A performer capable of doing justice to rapid or expressive passages, is said to have a good finger

9. (informal, rare) Someone skilled in the use of their fingers, (especially) a pickpocket.
10. (Britain slang) A person.
11. (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.
12. (vulgar) The act of fingering, inserting a finger into someone's vagina or rectum for sexual pleasure.

Synonyms

• (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

• (anatomy): index finger, forefinger; middle finger; ring finger; little finger, pinkie; thumb, hallux

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: finga

Translations

See finger/translations § Noun.

Verb

finger (third-person singular simple present fingers, present participle fingering, simple past and past participle fingered)

1. (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.
2. (transitive) To poke, probe, feel, or fondle with a finger or fingers.
3. (transitive) To use the fingers to penetrate and sexually stimulate one's own or another person's vagina or anus; to fingerbang
   • 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.

4. (transitive, music) To use specified finger positions in producing notes on a musical instrument.
5. (transitive, music) To provide instructions in written music as to which fingers are to be used to produce particular notes or passages.
6. (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).

7. (obsolete) To steal; to purloin.
8. (transitive, obsolete) To execute, as any delicate work.

Synonyms

• (to identify or point out): inform, grass up, snitch; See also Thesaurus:rat out
• (sexual): fingerbang, fingerfuck

Translations

See also

• artiodactyl
• dactyl
• dactylography
• dactylology
• fist
• macrodactyly
• perissodactyl
• prestidigitation
• pterodactyl

References

• "finger, n., in the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Anagrams

• fringe

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénk?rós.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fen??r/, [?fe???]

Noun

finger c (singular definite fingeren, plural indefinite fingre)

1. finger

Inflection

Further reading

• finger on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^da

Etymology 2

See fingere (“to simulate”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fen??e?r/, [?fe???e????], [?fe???e???]

Verb

finger or fingér

1. imperative of fingere

Middle English

Noun

finger

1. Alternative form of fynger

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénk?rós.

Noun

finger m (definite singular fingeren, indefinite plural fingre or fingrer, definite plural fingrene)

1. (anatomy) a finger

Derived terms

Related terms

• tommel

References

• “finger” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénk?rós.

Noun

finger m (definite singular fingeren, indefinite plural fingrar, definite plural fingrane)

1. (anatomy) a finger

Derived terms

Related terms

• tommel

References

• “finger” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *fingraz, which is from Proto-Indo-European *pénk?rós, *penk?-ros, a suffixed form of *pénk?e (“five”). Compare Old Frisian finger, Old Saxon fingar, Old High German fingar, Old Norse fingr, Gothic ???????????????????????? (figgrs).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?fin.?er/, [?fi?.?er]

Noun

finger m

1. finger

Declension

Derived terms

Descendants

• Middle English: fynger, finger, vinger, fyngir, fyngur, fyngyr, fiyngir, ffynger
  • English: finger
    • Sranan Tongo: finga
  • Scots: finger
  • Yola: vinger

Old Frisian

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *penk?rós.

Noun

finger m

1. finger

Inflection

Descendants

• North Frisian:

  Föhr-Amrum: fanger

• West Frisian: finger

Old Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?fi???r/

Noun

finger m

1. finger

Declension

or (with neuter gender)

Descendants

• Swedish: finger

Spanish

Etymology

From English finger.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?fin?e?/, [?f??.?e?]
• Hyphenation: fin?ger

Noun

finger m (plural fingeres)

1. (food) finger
2. (aviation, travel) jet bridge

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish finger, from Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénk?rós.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?f????r/

Noun

finger n or c

1. (anatomy) a finger (the body part)

Declension

Usage notes

The neuter declension is much more common than the common declension.

Derived terms

See also

• hand
• knoge
• nagel
• tumme

References

• finger in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian finger, from Proto-West Germanic *fingr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?f???r/

Noun

finger c (plural fingers, diminutive fingerke)

1. finger

Further reading

• “finger”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: t?l, IPA^(key): /te?l/
• Homophones: tale, tael
• Rhymes: -e?l

Etymology 1

From Middle English tail, tayl, teil, from Old English tæ?l (“tail”), from Proto-Germanic *taglaz, *tagl? (“hair, fiber; hair of a tail”), from Proto-Indo-European *do?- (“hair of the tail”), from Proto-Indo-European *de?- (“to tear, fray, shred”). Cognate with Scots tail (“tail”), Dutch teil (“tail, haulm, blade”), Low German Tagel (“twisted scourge, whip of thongs and ropes; end of a rope”), German Zagel (“tail”), dialectal Danish tavl (“hair of the tail”), Swedish tagel (“hair of the tail, horsehair”), Norwegian tagl (“tail”), Icelandic tagl (“tail, horsetail, ponytail”), Gothic ???????????????? (tagl, “hair”). In some senses, apparently by a generalization of the usual opposition between head and tail.

Noun

tail (plural tails)

1. (anatomy) The caudal appendage of an animal that is attached to its posterior and near the anus.

2. An object or part of an object resembling a tail in shape, such as the thongs on a cat-o'-nine-tails.
3. The back, last, lower, or inferior part of anything.
4. The feathers attached to the pygostyle of a bird.
5. The tail-end of an object, e.g. the rear of an aircraft's fuselage, containing the tailfin.
   • 1862, Ballou's Dollar Monthly Magazine (volume 16, page 83)

     It was soon over, and the unmoved magistrate calmly ordained that Deborah Williams, Elizabeth and Faith Wilson, should be tied to a cart's tail, and thus led through the principal streets of the town, receiving during their progress twenty lashes each, well laid on, upon the naked back.

6. The rear structure of an aircraft, the empennage.
7. (astronomy) The visible stream of dust and gases blown from a comet by the solar wind.
8. The latter part of a time period or event, or (collectively) persons or objects represented in this part.
9. (statistics) The part of a distribution most distant from the mode; as, a long tail.
10. One who surreptitiously follows another.
11. (cricket) The lower order of batsmen in the batting order, usually specialist bowlers.
12. (typography) The lower loop of the letters in the Roman alphabet, as in g, q or y.

    Synonym: descender

13. (chiefly in the plural) The side of a coin not bearing the head; normally the side on which the monetary value of the coin is indicated; the reverse.
14. (mathematics) All the last terms of a sequence, from some term on.

15. (now colloquial, chiefly US) The buttocks or backside.
    • 1499, John Skelton, The Bowge of Courte:

      By Goddis sydes, syns I her thyder broughte, / She hath gote me more money with her tayle / Than hath some shyppe that into Bordews sayle.
16. (slang) The penis of a person or animal.
17. (slang, uncountable) Sexual intercourse.

    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:copulation

18. (kayaking) The stern; the back of the kayak.
19. A train or company of attendants; a retinue.
20. (anatomy) The distal tendon of a muscle.
21. (entomology) A filamentous projection on the tornal section of each hind wing of certain butterflies.
22. A downy or feathery appendage of certain achens, formed of the permanent elongated style.
23. (surgery) A portion of an incision, at its beginning or end, which does not go through the whole thickness of the skin, and is more painful than a complete incision; called also tailing.
24. One of the strips at the end of a bandage formed by splitting the bandage one or more times.
25. (nautical) A rope spliced to the strap of a block, by which it may be lashed to anything.
26. (music) The part of a note which runs perpendicularly upward or downward from the head; the stem.
27. (mining) A tailing.
28. (architecture) The bottom or lower portion of a member or part such as a slate or tile.
29. (colloquial, dated) A tailcoat.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

• caudal

Verb

tail (third-person singular simple present tails, present participle tailing, simple past and past participle tailed)

1. (transitive) To follow and observe surreptitiously.

   Tail that car!

2. (architecture) To hold by the end; said of a timber when it rests upon a wall or other support; with in or into
3. (nautical) To swing with the stern in a certain direction; said of a vessel at anchor.

   This vessel tails downstream.

4. To follow or hang to, like a tail; to be attached closely to, as that which can not be evaded.

   • Nevertheless his bond of two thousand pounds, wherewith he was tailed, continued uncancelled.

5. To pull or draw by the tail.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Anglo-Norman, probably from a shortened form of entail.

Adjective

tail

1. (law) Limited; abridged; reduced; curtailed.

   estate tail

Noun

tail

1. (law) Limitation of inheritance to certain heirs.

   tail male — limitation to male heirs

   in tail — subject to such a limitation

Related terms

• entail

References

Anagrams

• ATLI, Ital, Ital., LIAT, LITA, Lita, TILA, Ta-li, Tila, alit, alti, ital, ital., lait, tali

Middle English

Noun

tail

1. Alternative form of tayl

Welsh

Noun

tail m (plural teiliau)

1. shit, dung

Derived terms

• maer biswail