Information AboutFathoms |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT FATHOM | |
| units of length | |
| human-based units of measure | |
| nautical terms | |
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A fathom is an obsolete Unit Of Length equivalent to 6 Feet or 2 Yard s. The fathom was first used for land Measurement but is now restricted to Nautical uses, especially the measurement of the depth of water or the length of nautical rope or cable. Civilian maps in English-speaking countries used to have depths commonly marked in fathoms, but this has changed to metres generally, even in US maps. Nautical Chart s have changed on a separate schedule. It was often used as a measure of depth using a Lead -weighted Sounding Line . By extension, "to fathom", has come to mean "to measure", "to get to the bottom of" or "to understand" something. DEFINITION ::1 English fathom = 6 feet = 2 yards = 1.8288 metres ::1 Wien er fathom = 1.8964838 meters ::1 Greek fathom = 6 feet 1 inch = 1.8542 meters ORIGIN The name derives from the Old English word ''fæthm'' meaning 'outstretched arms' which was the original definition of the unit's measure. In Middle English it was ''fathme''. SOUNDING It is easy to measure a length of line or rope as a rough number of fathoms by repeatedly stretching the rope between the two outstretched arms. Water depths have traditionally been measured this way by a "leadsman" using a Sounding Line . The word ''fathom'' can be used as a verb to describe this process. On the Mississippi river in the 1850 s, the leadsmen also used old-fashioned words for some of the numbers; for example instead of "two" they would say "twain". Thus when there was only two fathoms left under the boat they would call "by the mark twain!". The American writer Samuel Clemens , a former river Pilot , took his pen name, "Mark Twain", from this cry. ANALOGOUS UNITS The fathom is a generic unit and an analogous measure can be found in many cultures. Some are listed below. REFERENCES
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