fathom

名词 n. 动词 v.
中文释义
英 /ˈfað(ə)m/    美 /ˈfæðəm/

英文释义

名词 n.
  1. A man's armspan, generally reckoned to be six feet (about 1.8 metres). Later used to measure the depth of water, but now generally replaced by the metre outside American usage. US,historical
    — [T]he ſhipmen deemed that they drew neere to ſome countrey: And ſounded, and found it twentie fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they ſounded againe, and found it fifteene fathoms.
  2. A man's armspan, generally reckoned to be six feet (about 1.8 metres). Later used to measure the depth of water, but now generally replaced by the metre outside American usage.; An internationally standardized version of this unit, the international fathom (= 1.8288 metres = 6 feet). US,historical
  3. A measure of distance to shore: the nearest point to shore at which the water depth is the value quoted. US
    — After we'd rowed for an hour, we found ourselves stranded ten fathoms from shore.
  4. An unspecified depth. figuratively,in-plural
  5. Depth of insight; mental reach or scope. archaic,figuratively,obsolete
    — Another of his fathome they haue not / To leade their buſineſſe, […]
  6. The act of stretching out one's arms away from the sides of the torso so that they make a straight line perpendicular to the body. obsolete
  7. Someone or something that is embraced. obsolete
    — Thy Bride, thy choice, thy vvife, / She that is novv thy fadom, […] Kneele at thy feete, obay in euerie thing, / So euerie Father is a priuate King.
  8. Control, grasp. figuratively,obsolete
    — So; novv knovv I vvhere I am, me thinkes already / I graſpe beſt part of the Autumnian bleſſing / In my contentious fadome, […]
动词 v.
  1. To measure the depth of (water); to take a sounding of; to sound. also,figuratively,transitive
  2. To encircle (someone or something) with outstretched arms; specifically, to measure the circumference or (rare) length of something. archaic,obsolete,transitive
  3. Often followed by out: to deeply understand (someone or something); to get to the bottom of. figuratively,transitive
    — I can’t for the life of me fathom what this means.
  4. To embrace (someone or something). obsolete,transitive
  5. To measure a depth; to sound. intransitive
  6. To conduct an examination or inquiry; to investigate. figuratively,intransitive

词形变化

fathoms plural fathoms present,singular,third-person fathoming participle,present fathomed participle,past fathomed past

词汇关系

衍生词
fathomage fathometer fathomly fathomability fathomable fathomer fathoming fathomless fathomlessly unfathom unfathomability unfathomable
相关词
deep six

词源

词源 1
From Middle English fathome, fadom, fadme (“unit of length of about six feet; depth of six feet for nautical soundings; (loosely) cubit; ell”) [and other forms], from Old English fæþm, fæþme (“encircling or outstretched arms, bosom, embrace; envelopment; control, grasp, power; fathom (unit of measurement); cubit”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *faþm (“outstretched arms, embrace; fathom (unit of measurement)”), from Proto-Germanic *faþmaz (“outstretched arms, embrace; fathom (unit of measurement)”), from Proto-Indo-European *pet-, *peth₂- (“to spread out; to fly”).
Cognates
* Ancient Greek πέταλος (pétalos, “broad; flat”), πετᾰ́ννῡμῐ (petắnnūmĭ, “to open; to spread out; to be dispersed or scattered”) (whence English petal)
* Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌸𐌰 (faþa, “fench; hedge”)
* Latin pateō (“to extend, increase; to be accessible, attainable, open; to be exposed, vulnerable”)
* Low German fadem, faem (“cubit; thread”)
* Middle Dutch vadem (modern Dutch vaam, vadem (“fathom”))
* Norwegian Bokmål favn (“an embrace; a fathom”)
* Old Frisian fethm (“outstretched arms”)
* Old High German fadam, fadum (“cubit”) (Middle High German vade (“enclosure”), vadem, vaden, modern German Faden (“fathom; filament, thread”))
* Old Norse faþmr (Danish favn (“an embrace; a fathom”), Icelandic faðmur (“an embrace”), Swedish famn (“the arms, bosom; an embrace”))
* Old Welsh etem (“thread”)
词源 2
From Middle English fathome, fadom, fadme (“unit of length of about six feet; depth of six feet for nautical soundings; (loosely) cubit; ell”) [and other forms], from Old English fæþm, fæþme (“encircling or outstretched arms, bosom, embrace; envelopment; control, grasp, power; fathom (unit of measurement); cubit”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *faþm (“outstretched arms, embrace; fathom (unit of measurement)”), from Proto-Germanic *faþmaz (“outstretched arms, embrace; fathom (unit of measurement)”), from Proto-Indo-European *pet-, *peth₂- (“to spread out; to fly”).
Cognates
* Ancient Greek πέταλος (pétalos, “broad; flat”), πετᾰ́ννῡμῐ (petắnnūmĭ, “to open; to spread out; to be dispersed or scattered”) (whence English petal)
* Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌸𐌰 (faþa, “fench; hedge”)
* Latin pateō (“to extend, increase; to be accessible, attainable, open; to be exposed, vulnerable”)
* Low German fadem, faem (“cubit; thread”)
* Middle Dutch vadem (modern Dutch vaam, vadem (“fathom”))
* Norwegian Bokmål favn (“an embrace; a fathom”)
* Old Frisian fethm (“outstretched arms”)
* Old High German fadam, fadum (“cubit”) (Middle High German vade (“enclosure”), vadem, vaden, modern German Faden (“fathom; filament, thread”))
* Old Norse faþmr (Danish favn (“an embrace; a fathom”), Icelandic faðmur (“an embrace”), Swedish famn (“the arms, bosom; an embrace”))
* Old Welsh etem (“thread”)
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