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Glite Dictionary
handsbreadth

handsbreadth

9.6
The width of a hand used as a rough measure of about 8 to 10 cm
  • noun
  • /ˈhændzˌbrɛdθ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : palmo
  • The carpenter measured the wood and cut it to a length of a handsbreadth.

Examples

  • She looked at the sun, a handsbreadth above the ridge.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The child was told to stand a handsbreadth away from the edge of the cliff for safety.

  • She placed the vase a handsbreadth from the edge of the table to prevent it from falling.

Synonyms

hand
vshandsbreadth
  • Specialized
55 8.1

A unit of length equal to four inches used to measure horses

is a broader rough measure based on human palm width not just for animals
palm
vshandsbreadth
  • Archaic
12 9.7

An old unit of length based on the width of a person's hand

is the general rough unit of similar length rather than the ancient term
handbreadth
vshandsbreadth
  • Archaic
8.9

A small measure equal to the width of a human hand

is the same measure but uses a slightly different form of the name

Surface Forms

handsbreadth singular
handsbreadths plural

Morphology

handsbreadth = hand + breadth (transparent) = hand + breadth

The compound denotes a width measured by or equivalent to the span/width of a hand, a direct and recoverable meaning from the components.

Etymology

The word handsbreadth is made from hand and breadth, literally the 'width of a hand', and it was used as a simple measure of about 3–4 inches or 8–10 cm. That's why saying something moved a handsbreadth means it moved a very small distance.