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fathom

[fath -uh m]
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noun, plural fath·oms, (especially collectively) fath·om.

a unit of length equal to six feet (1.8 meters): used chiefly in nautical measurements. Abbreviation: fath

verb (used with object)

to measure the depth of by means of a sounding line; sound.
to penetrate to the truth of; comprehend; understand: to fathom someone's motives.

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RELATED WORDS

clear, comprehensible, intelligible, logical, comprehendible

Nearby words

  1. fatherhood,
  2. fatherland,
  3. fatherless,
  4. fatherly,
  5. fathogram,
  6. fathomable,
  7. fathometer,
  8. fathomless,
  9. fatidic,
  10. fatigable

Origin of fathom

before 900; Middle English fathme, Old English fæthm span of outstretched arms; cognate with German Faden six-foot measure, Old Norse fathmr; akin to patent
Related formsfath·om·a·ble, adjectivefath·om·er, nounun·fath·om·a·ble, adjectiveun·fath·omed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fathomable

  • They are fathomable; for even in the souls of "the immortals" they are only instruments of life warring against death.

    The Complex Vision|John Cowper Powys

  • The twitching would disappear for a time for no fathomable reason, and reappear again.

    Tics and Their Treatment|Henry Meigne

  • They are fathomable; for carried to a certain pitch of intensity they end in ecstasy or they end in death.

    The Complex Vision|John Cowper Powys

  • But in every other sense, in all that touches the fathomable business of daylight, she has been a conspicuous success.

    The Open Secret of Ireland|T. M. Kettle
British Dictionary definitions for fathomable

fathom

noun

a unit of length equal to six feet (1.829 metres), used to measure depths of water
mining a unit of volume usually equal to six cubic feet, used in measuring ore bodies
forestry a unit of volume equal to six cubic feet, used for measuring timber

verb (tr)

to measure the depth of, esp with a sounding line; sound
to penetrate (a mystery, problem, etc); discover the meaning of
Derived Formsfathomable, adjectivefathomer, noun

Word Origin for fathom

Old English fæthm; related to Old Frisian fethem outstretched arms, Old Norse fathmr embrace, Old High German fadum cubit, Latin patēre to gape
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 fathomable
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper