handbreadth

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a unit or distance equal to the breadth of a hand, roughly four inches or ten centimetres

   The window stood open by no more than a handbreadth.

An alteration of Middle English handbrede or hondbrede under the influence of breadth, equivalent to hand plus breadth. Related hand-based measures include the palm and handspan, though their exact values have varied by period and place.

Topics

External links

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