The word for today is…
fathom (noun, verb):
noun
1: a unit of length equal to six feet (1.83 meters) used especially for measuring the depth of water – sometimes used in the singular when qualified by a number
2: comprehension
verb
1: to measure by a sounding line
2: to penetrate and come to understand
Source : Merriam -Webster
Etymology : Fathom comes from the Old English word fæthm, meaning “outstretched arms.” The noun fathom, which now commonly refers to a measure (especially of depth) of six feet, was originally used for the distance, fingertip to fingertip, created by stretching one’s arms straight out from the sides of the body. In one of its earliest uses, the verb fathom was a synonym of our modern embrace: to fathom someone was to encircle the person with your arms. By the 1600s fathom had taken to the seas, with the verb being used to mean “to measure by a sounding line.” At the same time, the verb also developed senses synonymous with probe and investigate, and it is now frequently used to refer to the act of getting to the bottom of something, figuratively speaking.
If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.
