fingerbreadth
1
9.9
The width of a finger used as a quick measure
- noun
- /ˈfɪŋɡərˌbrɛdθ/
- Archaic
:
ancho de dedo
- He adjusted the picture frame to hang it one fingerbreadth higher than before.
Examples
-
The carpenter measured the wood and found it was exactly two fingerbreadths wide.
-
Many of them have to go over and feel it, the chill extending several fingerbreadths above the surface.
Fiction book (1995) -
The recipe called for a slice of cheese that was no thicker than a fingerbreadth.
Synonyms
6
9.8
A small measure about the width of a finger
is used informally rather than mainly in literary or older writing
1
8.4
A small distance equal to the width of a finger, often used to show a very small amount
is written as a single word rather than a possessive phrase
9.9
An old small measure of length about three quarters of an inch
is a general informal measure without a fixed typical size
Surface Forms
fingerbreadth singular
fingerbreadths plural
Morphology
Etymology
Fingerbreadth combines finger and breadth, and it literally means the 'width' of a finger. People long ago used body parts like a 'hand' or a 'span' to measure small distances, so a fingerbreadth is an informal way to say something is as wide as a finger.