cubit
English
Etymology
From Middle English cubite, from Latin cubitum (“elbow, cubit”). See also cubitus.
Pronunciation
Noun
cubit (plural cubits)
- (historical units of measure) Various former units of length notionally based on the distance from a grown man's elbow to his fingertips, standardized in different places and times at values between 35 and 60 cm.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Matthew 6:27:
- Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
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- (anatomy) The ulna.
Usage notes
In English, most commonly encountered in biblical Hebrew measures based on the shorter of the two Egyptian cubits, although the term is also used broadly for other units between the length of a foot and a yard. These may be clarified with a preceding adjective: Greek cubit, Roman cubit, &c.
Synonyms
Hyponyms
- royal cubit
Related terms
Translations
unit of length
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anatomy: ulna — see ulna
Malay
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Proto-Malayic *-bit, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *-bit, from Proto-Austronesian *-bit.
Pronunciation
- (Johor-Selangor) IPA(key): /t͡ʃubet/
- (Riau-Lingga) IPA(key): /t͡ʃubɪt/
- Rhymes: -ubet, -bet, -et
Middle English
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