thimble

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a small hard cap worn over a fingertip to protect it and push a needle while sewing

   She slipped a thimble onto her finger before hemming the cloth.

2. 2
   noun

   the small amount that a thimble can hold

   He added only a thimble of brandy to the sauce.

3. 3
   noun

   a grooved metal ring fitted inside a rope or cable loop to prevent chafing

   The sailor passed the cable around a steel thimble before fastening it.

Simplified etymology

Thimble is an Old English formation based on thumb, much as handle is formed from hand. Thumb itself shares an ancient root with Latin tumere, “to swell,” probably reflecting the thumb’s appearance as a thick or swollen finger.

From Middle English thimel or thymbyll, from Old English thymel ('thimble, thumbstall'). It is related to thumb and contains an old suffix used for instruments. The spelling changed through association with thumb, although modern thimble is normally worn on a finger rather than specifically on the thumb.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary