to finger-spell

1 8.7

Spell a word with your fingers using sign language

verb
/ˈfɪŋɡərˌspɛl/

Specialized

: deletrear con los dedos

Can you finger-spell the word 'hello'?
finger-spell a word

Examples

During the lesson, the teacher asked the students to finger-spell their names to practice the manual alphabet.
Deaf children learn to finger-spell new vocabulary before they use full signs.
During the lesson, the teacher asked the students to finger-spell their names.
When he forgot the sign for a word, he would finger-spell it slowly.
She can finger-spell her name beautifully.
To make sure everyone understood, she decided to finger-spell the word carefully, showing each letter distinctly.
When she couldn't find the right word, she began to finger-spell it slowly so that her friend could understand.

Synonyms

to spell out

vsto finger-spell

53 3.0

To say each letter of a word so others can hear the spelling

uses hand shapes to form letters in sign language instead of speaking or writing

to fingerspell

vsto finger-spell

8.8

Use hand shapes to show each letter of a word in sign language

has identical meaning but is written with a hyphenated form

How Precise

to finger-spell

Specialized

1 8.7

to sign

33 5.0

Surface Forms

finger-spell infinitive

finger-spelled past

finger-spelled past participle

finger-spelling present participle

finger-spells third person singular

Morphology

finger-spell = finger + spell (transparent) = finger + spell

The meaning is directly predictable from 'finger' + 'spell': to spell using the fingers (manual alphabet).

Etymology

The word finger-spell comes from the parts finger and spell, where 'spell' means 'to say the letters of a word'. So, to finger-spell is to 'spell' a word with your fingers in sign language, letter by letter.