cubit

[kyoo-bit]

noun

an ancient linear unit based on the length of the forearm, from elbow to the tip of the middle finger, usually from 17 to 21 inches (43 to 53 cm).

Origin of cubit

1325–75; Middle English, Old English < Latin cubitum elbow, cubit; perhaps akin to cubāre to lie down

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cubit

Historical Examples of cubit

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II
Francis Augustus Cox
I saw likewise other fish about a cubit in length, that had heads like owls.
The Arabian Nights
Unknown
Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature?
Christian Devotedness
Anthony Norris Groves
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature?
Fragments of science, V. 1-2
John Tyndall
The other kind of sheep has the tail broad, even as much as a cubit in breadth.
The History Of Herodotus
Herodotus

British Dictionary definitions for cubit

cubit

noun

an ancient measure of length based on the length of the forearm

Word Origin for cubit

C14: from Latin cubitum elbow, cubit

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cubit

ancient unit of measure based on the forearm from elbow to fingertip, usually from 18 to 22 inches, early 14c., from Latin cubitum "the elbow," from PIE *keu(b)- "to bend." Such a measure, known by a word meaning "forearm" or the like, was known to many peoples (e.g. Greek pekhys, Hebrew ammah, English ell).