thumb

Meanings

Noun

• The short thick digit of the hand that for humans has the most mobility and can be made to oppose (moved to touch) all of the other fingers.
• The part of a slider that may be moved linearly along the slider.
• A thumbnail picture.

Verb

• To touch or cover with the thumb.
• To turn the pages of (a book) in order to read it cursorily.
• To hitchhike
• To soil or wear with the thumb or the fingers; to soil, or wear out, by frequent handling.
• To manipulate (an object) with the thumb; especially, to pull back the hammer or open the cylinder of a revolver.
• To fire (a single action revolver) quickly by pulling the hammer while keeping the trigger depressed.

Related

Similar words

• pollex, digit I, first digit ; thumby
• browse, leaf, page, peruse

Narrower meaning words

• opposable thumb

Broader meaning words

• digit, finger

Origin

• From Middle English thombe, thoume, thoumbe, from Old English þūma, from Proto-Germanic *þūmô (compare West Frisian tomme, Dutch duim, Low German Duum, German Daumen, Danish tomme, Swedish tumme), from Proto-Indo-European *tūm- ("to grow") (compare Welsh tyfu ("to grow"), Latin tumēre ("to swell"), Lithuanian tumėti ("to thicken, clot"), Ancient Greek τύμβος ("burial mound"), Avestan 𐬀𐬨𐬏𐬙, Sanskrit तुम्र ("strong, thick")). The parasitic ‐b has existed since the late 13th century.