different between inch vs thumb

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?nt?/
• Rhymes: -?nt?

Etymology 1

From Middle English ynche, enche, from Old English ynce, borrowed from Latin uncia (“twelfth part”). Doublet of ounce.

Noun

inch (plural inches)

1. A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
2. (meteorology) The amount of water which would cover a surface to the depth of an inch, used as a measurement of rainfall.
3. The amount of an alcoholic beverage which would fill a glass or bottle to the depth of an inch.
4. (figuratively) A very short distance.

   "Don't move an inch!"

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Japanese: ??? (inchi)
• ? Korean: ?? (inchi)

Translations

Verb

inch (third-person singular simple present inches, present participle inching, simple past and past participle inched)

1. (intransitive, followed by a preposition) To advance very slowly, or by a small amount (in a particular direction).

   Fearful of falling, he inched along the window ledge.

   • 1957, J. D. Salinger, "Zooey", in, 1961, Franny and Zooey:

     The window blind had been lowered — Zooey had done all his bathtub reading by the light from the three-bulb overhead fixture—but a fraction of morning light inched under the blind and onto the title page of the manuscript.
2. To drive by inches, or small degrees.
   • 1692, John Dryden, Cleomenes, the Spartan Hero, a Tragedy

     He gets too far into the soldier's grace / And inches out my master.

3. To deal out by inches; to give sparingly.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• thou
• mil

Etymology 2

From Scottish Gaelic innis

Noun

inch (plural inches)

1. (Scotland) A small island

Usage notes

• Found especially in the names of small Scottish islands, e.g. Inchcolm, Inchkeith.

Anagrams

• Ch'in, Chin, chin, ichn-

Middle English

Noun

inch

1. Alternative form of ynche

English

Alternative forms

• thum, thume, thumbe (all obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English thombe, thoume, thoumbe, from Old English þ?ma, from Proto-Germanic *þ?mô (compare West Frisian tomme, Dutch duim, Low German Dumen, German Daumen, Danish tomme, Swedish tumme), from Proto-Indo-European *t?m- (“to grow”) (compare Welsh tyfu (“to grow”), Latin tum?re (“to swell”), Lithuanian tum?ti (“to thicken, clot”), Ancient Greek ?????? (túmbos, “burial mound”), Avestan ????????????????? (am?t, “strong”), Sanskrit ????? (túmra, “strong, thick”)). The parasitic ?b has existed since the late 13th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??m/
• Rhymes: -?m

Noun

thumb (plural thumbs)

1. The short thick digit of the hand that for humans has the most mobility and can be made to oppose (moved to touch) all of the other fingers.
2. (graphical user interface) The part of a slider that may be moved linearly along the slider.

3. (colloquial, Internet) A thumbnail picture.
   • 2001, "Gary", Wanna See Porn? Take a Look At These (Free Expandable Thumbs) - CLICK HERE (on newsgroup alt.sex.services)

Synonyms

• (digit): pollex, digit I, first digit (anatomy) ; thumby (colloquial)

Hypernyms

• (digit): digit, finger

Hyponyms

• (digit): opposable thumb

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

thumb (third-person singular simple present thumbs, present participle thumbing, simple past and past participle thumbed)

1. (transitive) To touch or cover with the thumb.

2. (transitive, with through) To turn the pages of (a book) in order to read it cursorily.

3. (travel) To hitchhike
   • 1969, Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, "Me and Bobby McGee":

     Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained.

   • 1980, Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan, "Smoky Mountain Rain":

     Thumbed a diesel down, outside a cafe.

4. To soil or wear with the thumb or the fingers; to soil, or wear out, by frequent handling.
5. To manipulate (an object) with the thumb; especially, to pull back the hammer or open the cylinder of a revolver.
6. To fire (a single action revolver) quickly by pulling the hammer while keeping the trigger depressed.
   • 2011, by Hans-Christian Vortisch, GURPS Tactical Shooting, pg 14

     To thumb a single-action revolver, hold down the trigger and use the thumb on the same hand to fire the gun by manipulating the hammer.

Synonyms

• (to turn pages): browse, leaf, page, peruse

Derived terms

Related terms

• (firing a single action revolver via hammer flicks while trigger is held down) fanning (using opposite hand instead of thumb)

Translations

References

Albanian

Alternative forms

• thumbi, thump

Etymology

From *thon (“(finger)nail”) (modern thua). More at thua.

Noun

thumb m (indefinite plural thumba)

1. stinger (of a bee)
2. thorn, prick
3. bell clapper, tongue (of bell)
4. tack, thumbtack, shoe tack (spike)
5. point of arrowhead, spiked tip of a goad or prod

Derived terms

• thumbull

Middle English

Alternative forms

• þumb

Noun

thumb (plural thumbes)

1. Alternative form of þombe (“thumb”)