"wide. Ell An ell (from Proto-Germanic *""alinō"", cognate with Latin ""ulna"") is a unit of measurement, originally a cubit, i.e., approximating the length of a man's arm from the elbow ("""" literally meant the bend (""bow"") of the arm (""ell"")) to the tip of the middle finger, or about 18 inches (457 mm); in later usage, any of several longer units. In English-speaking countries, these included (until the 19th century) the Flemish ell ( of a yard), English ell ( yards) and French ell ( yards), some of which are thought to derive from a ""double ell"". An ell-wand or"
"English or SI units. The original measures of length were clearly derived from the human body — the finger, hand, arm, span, foot, and pace — but since these measures differ between individuals, they are reduced to a certain standard for general use. The Israelite system thus used divisions of the digit or fingerbreadth (Hebrew: אצבע, ""Etzba""; plural ""etzba'ot""), the palm or handbreadth (Hebrew: טפח, ""Tefah""/""Tefach""; plural ""Tefahim""/""Tefachim""), the span (Hebrew: זרת, ""Zeret""), the ell (Hebrew: אמה, ""Amah"", plural ""Amot""), the mile (Hebrew: מיל, ""Mil""; plural ""milin""), and the parsa (Hebrew: פרסה, ""Parasa""). The latter two are loan words into"
"that is, of the hand, taken all together."" In ancient Greek units of measurement, the standard forearm cubit measured approximately The short forearm cubit from the wrist to the elbow, measured approximately . In ancient Rome, according to Vitruvius, a cubit was equal to Roman feet or 6 palm widths (approximately ). A 120-centimeter cubit (approximately four feet long), called the Roman ulna, was common in the Roman empire, which cubit was measured from the fingers of the outstretched arm opposite the man's hip. Other measurements based on the length of the forearm include some lengths of ell, the Chinese"
"hedge. The English word ""cubit"" comes from the Latin noun ""cubitus"" ""elbow"", from the verb ""cubo, cubare, cubui, cubitum"" ""to lie down"", from which also comes the adjective ""recumbent"". The ancient Egyptian royal cubit () is the earliest attested standard measure. Cubit rods were used for the measurement of length. A number of these rods have survived: two are known from the tomb of Maya, the treasurer of the 18th dynasty pharaoh Tutankhamun, in Saqqara; another was found in the tomb of Kha (TT8) in Thebes. Fourteen such rods, including one double cubit rod, were described and compared by Lepsius"
"and can last a few months (cubital and radial tunnel syndrome, 2). The now obsolete length unit ell relates closely to the elbow. This becomes especially visible when considering the Germanic origins of both words, ""Elle"" (ell, defined as the length of a male forearm from elbow to fingertips) and ""Ellbogen"" (elbow). It is unknown when or why the second ""l"" was dropped from English usage of the word. The ""ell"" as in the English measure could also be taken to come from the letter L, being bent at right angles, as an elbow. The ell as a measure was"
"or width of the hand (one sixth), and the digit or width of the middle finger (one twenty-fourth). The Royal Cubit, which was a standard cubit enhanced by an extra palm—thus 7 palms or 28 digits long—was used in constructing buildings and monuments and in surveying in ancient Egypt. The inch, foot, and yard evolved from these units through a complicated transformation not yet fully understood. Some believe they evolved from cubic measures; others believe they were simple proportions or multiples of the cubit. In whichever case, the Greeks and Romans inherited the foot from the Egyptians. The Roman foot"
"Span (unit) A span is the distance measured by a human hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger. In ancient times, a span was considered to be half a cubit. Sometimes the distinction is made between the great span (thumb to little finger) and little span (index finger to little finger). Ancient Greek texts show that the span was used as a fixed measure in ancient Greece since at least archaic period. The word ""spithame"" (Greek: ""σπιθαμή""), ""span"", is attested in the work of Herodotus in the 5th century BC; however, the span"
"records and the Hebrew Bible indicate that length was first measured with the forearm, hand, or finger and that time was measured by the periods of the sun, moon, and other heavenly bodies. When it was necessary to compare the capacities of containers such as gourds or clay or metal vessels, they were filled with plant seeds which were then counted to measure the volumes. When means for weighing were invented, seeds and stones served as standards. For instance, the carat, still used as a unit for gems, was derived from the carob seed. The Egyptian cubit, the Indus Valley"
"Yup'ik) measurement from the tip of the thumb to tip of index finger when each is stretched out away from the other; ""tekneq"" (in Yup'ik) measurement being the width of the last section of one’s index finger; ""tumagneq"" (in Yup'ik) measurement of the width of the palm (flattened and with the fingers and thumb held together); ""tusneq"" (in Yup'ik) measurement being the width from the outside edge of one should to the outside edge of the other; ""yegyameg"" (in Cup'ig) from elbow (measuring to tip of hand). The primary subsistence activity for the Yup'ik is fishing, though hunting supplements the"
"the Sumerian cubit as about . The Near Eastern or Biblical cubit is usually estimated as approximately . Epiphanius of Salamis, in his treatise ""On Weights and Measures"", describes how it was customary, in his day, to take the measurement of the biblical cubit: ""The cubit is a measure, but it is taken from the measure of the forearm. For the part from the elbow to the wrist and the palm of the hand is called the cubit, the middle finger of the cubit measure being also extended at the same time and there being added below (it) the span,"
"the outstreched arm and hand; ""cagner"" (in Cup'ig) measurement between tips of fingers on opposing hands when arms are extended out from the sides of the body; ""ikuyegarneq"" (in Yup'ik) ""ikuyegarner"" (in Cup'ig) measurement from one's elbow to the end of his fist; ""ikuyegneq"" (in Yup'ik) measurement from one's elbow to end of his outstretched fingertips; ""iqelqin"" (in Yup'ik) measurement from the tip of one's thumb to the tip of one's index fingers are stretched out from each other; ""itegneq"" (in Yup'ik) measurement from tip of toes to end of heel; foot (in length); ""it’ganeq"" (in Yup'ik) measurement from tip"
"('). The Proto-Germanic cubit or arm's-length has been reconstructed as *""alinâ"", which developed into the Old English ', Middle English ', and modern ell of 1¼ yd. This has led some to derive the yard of three English feet from pacing; others from the ell or cubit; and still others from Henry I's arm standard (see below). Based on the etymology of the other ""yard"", some suggest it originally derived from the girth of a person's waist, while others believe it originated as a cubic measure. One official British report writes: The earliest record of a prototype measure is the"
"Digit (unit) The digit or finger is an ancient and obsolete non-SI unit of measurement of length. It was originally based on the breadth of a human finger. It was a fundamental unit of length in the Ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Hebrew, Ancient Greek and Roman systems of measurement. In astronomy a digit is one twelfth of the diameter of the sun or the moon. The digit, also called a finger or fingerbreadth, is a unit of measurement originally based on the breadth of a human finger. In Ancient Egypt it was the basic unit of subdivision of the cubit. On"
"joint of the index finger curled up with section from tip to first joint along inner edge of thumb; ""qerruuner"" (in Cup'ig) measurement from fingertip to armpit or chest; ""quruner"" (in Cup'ig) measurement from fingertip to the armpit or chest; ""tallineq"" (in Yup'ik) measurement from one's fingertips to his armpit with the arm (and hand) outstretched; ""'tallinin"" (in Yup'ik) measurement from the extremity of one’s fist to his armpit with the arm outstretched; ""taluyaneq"" (in Yup'ik) measurement, the distance from the folded elbow of one outstretched arm to the ends of the fingertips of the other outstretched arm; ""teklin"" (in"
"the arm from the tip of the finger to the elbow. This could then be subdivided into shorter units like the foot, hand (which at 4 inches is still used today for expressing the height of horses) or finger, or added together to make longer units like the stride. The cubit could vary considerably due to the different sizes of people. After Albert Einstein's special relativity, length can no longer be thought of as being constant in all reference frames. Thus a ruler that is one meter long in one frame of reference will not be one meter long in"
"four fingers and the fingers are further subdivided. Another wooden cubit rod was found in Theban tomb TT40 (Huy) bearing the throne name of Tutankhamun (Nebkheperure). Egyptian measuring rods also had marks for the Remen measurement of approximately 370mm, used in construction of the Pyramids. An oak rod from the Iron Age fortified settlement at Borre Fen in Denmark measured , with marks dividing it up into eight parts of , corresponding quite closely to half a Doric Pous (a Greek foot). A hazel measuring rod recovered from a Bronze Age burial mound in Borum Eshøj, East Jutland by P."
"in Roman art showing the surveyors at work. A shorter folding yardstick one Roman foot long is known from excavations of a Roman fort in Niederburg, Germany. In the Middle Ages, bars were used as standards of length when surveying land. These bars often used a unit of measure called a rod, of length equal to 5.5 yards, 5.0292 metres, 16.5 feet, or of a statute mile. A rod is the same length as a ""perch"" or a ""pole"". In Old English, the term ""lug"" is also used. The length is equal to the standardized length of the ox goad"
"a mile, and significantly shorter than the modern statute or land mile of 5280 ft or 1760 yd (approximately 1.6 km). The precise width of the ""etzba"" (finger) has been a subject of controversy among halakhic authorities. The best known are those of the Rav Chayim No'eh and Chazon Ish. See also Rabbi Chaim P. Benish's ""Midos V'Shiurei Torah"" where he brings an alternative view in understanding the ""Rambam"" and therefore suggests that the ""etsba"", according to the ""Rambam"", is 0.748–0.756 in (1.90–1.92 cm). This would affect the other measurements in the following ways: ""Tefah"" 2.99–3.02 in (7.59–7.67 cm); ""Zeret"""
"of toes to end of heel; foot (in length); ""malruneq"" (in Yup'ik) measurement of the width at their ends of the index finger and the middle finger held next to each other; ""naparneq"" (in Yup'ik) measurement from tip of extended thumb to opposite side fist; ""patneq"" (in Yup'ik) measurement, the width of the four fingers (thumb excluded) of one's hand; ""pingayuneq"" (in Yup'ik) measurement of the width at their ends of the index finger, the middle finger, and the ring finger held next to each other; ""pupsuneq"" (in Yup'ik) measurement from the thumb (outer edge of nail) to the second"
"measurements made by French engineers during Napoleon's expedition in Egypt, were studied by John Taylor (1781–1864). Taylor claimed that the measurements indicated that the ancients had used a unit of measure about 1/1000 greater than a modern British inch. This was the origin of the ""pyramid inch"". Taylor regarded the ""pyramid inch"" to be 1/25 of the ""sacred cubit"", ancient unit based on the forearm length from the tip of the middle finger to the bottom of the elbow, whose existence had earlier been postulated by Isaac Newton. The principal argument was that the total length of the four sides"
"roughly between . Distance between elbow and fingertip. In the North, often 2 feet, In Prussia feet, in the South variable, often feet. The smallest known German ""Elle"" is , the longest . The Fuß or German foot varied widely from place to place in the German-speaking world, and also with time. In some places, more than one type of Fuß was in use. One source from 1830 gives the following values: Usually foot, but also and . Usually inch, but also . For firewood, In general, the ""Nösel"" (also spelled ""Össel"") was a measure of liquid volume equal to"
"measures, including the various Greek feet measurements and the Oscan foot of 23,7 cm. Standardisation was introduced by Agrippa in 29 BC, replacing all previous measurements by a Roman foot of 29.6 cm, which became the foot of Imperial Rome. The Roman measuring rod was 10 Roman feet long, and hence called a ""decempeda"", Latin for ‘ten feet’. It was usually of square section capped at both ends by a metal shoe, and painted in alternating colours. Together with the ""groma"" and ""Dioptra"" the ""decempeda"" formed the basic kit for the Roman surveyors. The measuring rod is frequently found depicted"
"the study of Byzantine weights and measures. A great number of measures of length were used, including modified forms of the Greek and Roman units of the finger, ""kondylos, anticheir, palaiste, dichas, spithame, pechys,"" pace, fathom, schoenus (field measurement), plethron, mile, ""allage"", and an average day's journey. Measure of volume included: ""litra, tagarion, pinakion, modios"", and those of surface area ""modios, megalos modios"" and ""zeugarion"". Measures for water and wine were called ""megarikon, metron"" and ""tetartion"". Measures of weight were ""krithokokkon, sitokokkon, gramma, obolos, drachme, ungia, litra, kentenarion, gomarion"" and ""pesa"". Byzantine chronology entails the study of the computation of"
"surviving Ancient Egyptian cubit-rods, the royal cubit is divided into seven palms of four digits or fingers each. The royal cubit measured approximately 525 mm, so the length of the ancient Egyptian digit was about 19 mm. In the classical Akkadian Empire system instituted in about 2250 BC during the reign of Naram-Sin, the finger was one-thirtieth of a cubit length. The cubit was equivalent to approximately 497 mm, so the finger was equal to about 17 mm. Basic length was used in architecture and field division. A digit (lat. ""digitus"", ""finger""), when used as a unit of length, is"
"units have been used which were based on human body parts such as the cubit, hand and foot and these units varied in length by era and location. In the late 18th century the metric system came into use and has been adopted to varying degrees in almost all countries in the world. The oldest preserved measuring rod is a copper-alloy bar that dates from 2650 BCE and was found by the German Assyriologist Eckhard Unger while excavating at Nippur. Rulers made of Ivory were in use by the Indus Valley Civilization period prior to 1500 BCE. Excavations at Lothal"
"radix numbering system, where a hand is four inches. The hand, sometimes also called a handbreadth or handsbreadth, is an anthropic unit, originally based on the breadth of a male human hand, either with or without the thumb, or on the height of a clenched fist. On surviving Ancient Egyptian cubit-rods, the royal cubit is divided into seven palms of four digits or fingers each. Five digits are equal to a hand, with thumb; and six to a closed fist. The royal cubit measured approximately 525 mm, so the length of the ancient Egyptian hand was about 94 mm. In"
"both the Greeks and the Romans subdivided the foot into 16 digits, but in later years, the Romans also subdivided the foot into 12 (from which both the English words ""inch"" and ""ounce"" are derived). After the fall of the Roman Empire, some Roman traditions were continued but others fell into disuse. In AD 790 Charlemagne attempted to reform the units of measure in his domains. His units of length were based on the and in particular the , the distance between the fingertips of the outstretched arms of a man. The has 6 (feet) each of 326.6 mm (12.86"
"the same length as a ""perch"", also sometimes called a pole which measure using cordage or wood, slightly antedated the use of both rods and surveyors chains, made of more dimensionally regular materials. Its name derives from the Ancient Roman unit, the ""pertica"". The measure also has a relationship to the military pike of about the same size and both measures date from the sixteenth century, when that weapon was still utilized in national armies. The tool, normally configured as a metal rod with eye-ends (loops that could be hooked together), was used commonly until quite recently, when it was"
"the ""livre"" is shown as being 403 g, as opposed to 489 g – the value of the ""livre du Roi"". These definitions use the Paris definitions for the ""couture"" of Paris, and definitions for other Ancien régime civil jurisdictions varied, at times quite significantly. The mediaeval royal units of length were based on the ""toise"" and in particular the ""toise de l'Écritoire"", the distance between the fingertips of the outstretched arms of a man which was introduced in 790 AD by Charlemagne. The ""toise"" had 6 ""pieds"" (feet) each of 326.6 mm (12.86 in). In 1668 the reference standard"
"Knotted cord A knotted cord was a primitive surveyor's tool for measuring distances. It is a length of cord with knots at regular intervals. They were eventually replaced by surveyor's chains, which being made of metal were less prone to stretching and thus were more accurate and consistent. Knotted cords were used by many ancient cultures. The Greek schoenus is referred to as a rope used to measure land. Ropes generally became cables and chains with Pythagoras making the Greek agros a chain of 10 stadia equal to a nautical mile c 540 BC. The Romans used a waxed cord"
"Cubit The cubit is an ancient unit of length that had several definitions according to each of the various different cultures that used the unit. These definitions ranged between . The unit was based on the forearm length from the tip of the middle finger to the bottom of the elbow. Cubits of various lengths were employed in many parts of the world in antiquity, during the Middle Ages and as recently as Early Modern Times. The term is still used in hedgelaying, the length of the forearm being frequently used to determine the interval between stakes placed within the"
"foot. Chi (unit) The chi is a traditional Chinese unit of length. Although it is often translated as the """", its length was originally derived from the distance measured by a human hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the forefinger similar to the ancient Span. It first appeared during China's Shang dynasty approximately 3000 years ago and has since been adopted by other East Asian cultures such as Japan (""shaku""), Korea (""ja""), and Vietnam. Its present value is standardized around one-third of a metre, although the exact standards vary among the mainland of the People's"
"curve is given in cubits, palms, and digits in each of the sections. At some point, lengths were standardized by cubit rods. Examples have been found in the tombs of officials, noting lengths up to remen. Royal cubits were used for land measures such as roads and fields. Fourteen rods, including one double-cubit rod, were described and compared by Lepsius. Two examples are known from the Saqqara tomb of Maya, the treasurer of Tutankhamun. Another was found in the tomb of Kha (TT8) in Thebes. These cubits are about long and are divided into palms and hands: each palm is"