thumb

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈθʌm/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English thoume, inherited from Old English þūma (“thumb”),^[2][3][4] from Proto-Germanic *thūman-, etymologically the stout or thick finger,^[3][2] source also of Dutch duim and German Daumen,^[3][2] from Proto-Indo-European *tum-, to swell,^[3][4] as in Latin tumēre, to swell (see tumor).^[2][5][6] The unetymological -b, attested from the late 12th century, is perhaps by influence of dumb (compare limb).^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The short thick inner digit of the hand: before 700 in the OED, before 800 in Barnhart.^[7][2]

Semantic evolution

In Middle English it could also mean the big toe.^[3][7] Figuratively, a thumb of a certain kind, as a gold thumb for one who grows rich, showed a natural skill, from the late 14th century.^[3] Thimble is formed from thumb.^[5] Rule of thumb is attested by the 1680s.^[3] Thumbs up and thumbs down are said to go back to Roman gladiatorial combat, though Word Origins notes the Roman gestures were the reverse of the modern ones, which date from the early 20th century.^[5] The verb, to play an instrument with the thumbs, is from 1593,^[2][7] to soil by much handling from the 1640s,^[3] to go through printed matter from 1930,^[3] and to hitchhike from 1939.^[3] To thumb one's nose is from 1903.^[3]

Timeline

• before 700 – the thumb.^[7]
• late 14th century – a skill (figurative).^[3]
• 1593 – to play with the thumbs.^[2]
• 1680s – rule of thumb.^[3]
• 1903 – thumb one's nose.^[3]
• 1939 – to hitchhike.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The short, thick first digit of the hand, opposable to the fingers.
2. The corresponding digit in other animals.
3. The part of a glove that covers the thumb.

Verb

1. To turn the pages of a book quickly with the thumb.
2. To soil or wear by much handling.
3. To ask for a lift by signalling with the thumb; to hitchhike.

Word family

• thumbless
• thumblike

Related words

• thimble
• tumor
• tumid
• tuber

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press