daktylos
- noun
- /ˈdæktɪloʊs/
- Archaic
- One daktylos is approximately one centimeter.
Examples
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A daktylos was approximately the width of an adult's finger in Ancient Greece.
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The ancient architect used a daktylos as a standard measure in his design.
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Measurements on the old tablet are given in daktyloi rather than modern units.
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The daktylos was used in ancient measurements.
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A daktylos was approximately the width of an adult's finger in Ancient Greece.
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The ancient architect used a daktylos as a standard measure in his design.
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Measurements on the old tablet are given in daktyloi rather than modern units.
Synonyms
A small measure about the width of a finger
An old small measure of length about three quarters of an inch
The width of a finger used as a quick measure
A small distance equal to the width of a finger, often used to show a very small amount
Surface Forms
Etymology
Daktylos comes from Greek and means 'finger', so it was used as a small unit of length about the width of a finger. A helpful way to remember it is the English word digit, which also comes from 'finger' and 'number', because a daktylos is literally a 'finger's breadth'.