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fathom
fathom †embrace; †cubit; length made by the outstretched arms, 6 feet. OE. fæðm, corr. to OS. faðmos pl. two arms outstretched (Du. vadem, vaam 6 feet), OHG. fadum cubit (G. faden 6 feet), ON. faðmr embrace, bosom :- Gmc. *faþmaz, f. base *faþ- :- IE. *pot- *pet- *pt-, whence also L. patēre be open, Gr. pētalos spreading, broad.
So vb. †encircle, embrace OE.; take soundings (of), get to the bottom of XVII. OE. fæðmian. |
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T. F. HOAD. "fathom." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "fathom." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-fathom.html T. F. HOAD. "fathom." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-fathom.html |
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fathom
fath·om / ˈfa[voicedth]əm/ • n. a unit of length equal to six feet (approx. 1.8 m), chiefly used in reference to the depth of water: sonar says that we're in eighteen fathoms. • v. [tr.] 1. understand (a difficult problem or an enigmatic person) after much thought: he couldn't fathom why she was being so anxious. 2. measure the depth of (water). DERIVATIVES: fath·om·a·ble adj. fath·om·less adj. |
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"fathom." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "fathom." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-fathom.html "fathom." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-fathom.html |
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fathom
fathom n. a unit of length equal to 6 feet (1.8 meters), chiefly used in reference to the depth of water: sonar says that we're in 18 fathoms.
Old English fæthm, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vadem, vaam and German Faden ‘six feet.’ The original sense was ‘something which embraces,’ (plural) ‘the outstretched arms;’ hence, a unit of measurement based on the span of the outstretched arms, later standardized to 6 feet. |
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"fathom." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "fathom." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-fathom.html "fathom." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-fathom.html |
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fathom
fathom, a unit of measurement for the depths of the sea or the lengths of rope and cables before the metric system was adopted. The word comes from the Old English faedm, to embrace, and is a measurement across the outstretched arms of a man, approximately 6 feet (1.83 m). The French brasse clearly has a similar derivation from arms.
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"fathom." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "fathom." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-fathom.html "fathom." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-fathom.html |
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fathom
fathom Unit of water-depth measurement, originally six feet, equal to 1.83 m.
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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "fathom." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "fathom." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-fathom.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "fathom." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-fathom.html |
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fathom
fathom A unit of water-depth measurement, originally 6 feet, equal to 1.83 m.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "fathom." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "fathom." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-fathom.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "fathom." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-fathom.html |
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Fathom
Fathoma quantity of wood, six feet square in elevation, 1577. |
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"Fathom." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Fathom." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505300637.html "Fathom." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505300637.html |
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fathom
fathom
•hansom, ransom, Ransome, transom
•Wrexham • sensum • Epsom • jetsam
•lissom • winsome • gypsum • alyssum
•blossom, opossum, possum
•flotsam • awesome • balsam • Folsom
•noisome • twosome
•fulsome • buxom • Hilversum
•irksome • Gresham • meerschaum
•petersham • nasturtium
•atom, Euratom
•factum
•bantam, phantom
•sanctum
•desideratum, erratum, post-partum, stratum
•substratum • rectum • momentum
•septum
•datum, petrolatum, pomatum, Tatum, ultimatum
•arboretum • dictum • symptom
•ad infinitum
•bottom, rock-bottom
•quantum
•autumn, postmortem
•factotum, Gotham, scrotum, teetotum, totem
•sputum
•accustom, custom
•diatom • anthem • Bentham • Botham
•fathom • rhythm • biorhythm
•algorithm • logarithm • sempervivum
•ovum • William
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Cite this article
"fathom." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "fathom." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-fathom.html "fathom." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-fathom.html |
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