thumb — the short thick finger on the side of your hand
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: the short thick finger on the side of your hand
Pronunciation (IPA): /θʌm/
Example Sentences
- My mom has a green thumb - she can grow anything!
- He gave me a thumbs up when I finished my presentation.
- As a rule of thumb, always save your work every 10 minutes.
thumb
NOUN[/θʌm/]
the short thick finger on the side of your hand
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Thumb derives from Old English 'thuma', a fundamental body-part term inherited from Proto-Germanic ancestry. The word has remained largely unchanged across Germanic languages, reflecting its ancient roots in Indo-European linguistic heritage.
Breakdown
thuma (Old English) → thumb (Modern English). The word consists of a single morpheme with no productive affixes; 'thum-' likely relates to Proto-Germanic *thuman, possibly connected to concepts of swelling or thickness, referring to the digit's characteristic form.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My mom has a green thumb - she can grow anything!”
“He gave me a thumbs up when I finished my presentation.”
“As a rule of thumb, always save your work every 10 minutes.”
“My bright purple hair made me stick out like a sore thumb at the formal dinner.”
📚Related Words
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