fathom

[ fath-uhm ]

/ ˈfæð əm /

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See synonyms for: fathom / fathomed / fathoming / fathoms on Thesaurus.com

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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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

OTHER WORDS FROM fathom

fath·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. 2022

How to use fathom in a sentence

While the seafood we dine on comes from much shallower waters, investigating mercury in the deepest fathoms can help us understand its movement and persistence across the entire ocean, Lamborg says.
Researchers found signs of human pollution in animals living six miles beneath the sea|Kate Baggaley|November 19, 2020|Popular-Science
Pain and pleasure are conditions of the soul; conditions which have a definite and quite fathomable limit.
The Complex Vision|John Cowper Powys
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
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
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 fathom

fathom

/ (ˈfæðəm) /

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 forms of fathom

fathomable, 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