thimble
/ˈθɪmb(ə)l/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.53 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A pitted, now usually metal, cup-shaped cap worn on the tip of a finger, which is used in sewing to push the needle through material.
noun
As much as fills a thimble (sense 1); a thimbleful.
noun
A metal ring which a cable or rope intended for attaching to other things is looped around as a protection against chafing.
noun
A ring- or tube-shaped component such as a ferrule.
Example Sentences
- "She had worn a hole through her silver thimble, and wanted Owen to repair it."
- "To relieve the stern in a measure from the great weight of the [diving-]bell, a short, strong mast was stepped in the usual place, and steeving forward; from its head to the head of the davit was a span, which set up with two thimbles [footnote: A sort of iron ring.] and a lanyard, and the whole was supported by a strong stay from the mast-head to the stern of the boat, and two shrouds on a side, leading forward."
- "The rope part is fitted with a thimble in one end, which is connected to the chain by means of a shackle; the other extremity is spliced around a heart, and goes with a laniard, as in the case of bobstays. The splice of the thimble and the heart should be served."
- "One of them had the address, whilst his Majesty was shaking hands with one of his 'Pall-Mall' acquaintances, to slip his hand under his upper tog [coat] and extract his thimble [watch] […]"
Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English thymbyll, thimel (“thimble”) [and other forms], from Old English þȳmel (“thimble, thumbstall; fingerstall”), then either: * from Old English þūma (“thumb”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”)) + -el (suffix forming agent nouns and the names of instruments); or * from Proto-Germanic *þūmilaz (“thumb-covering, thumb-sheath”), from *þūmô (“thumb”) (ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root mentioned above) + *-ilaz (suffix forming agent nouns). The English word is analysable as thumb + -le (suffix forming agent nouns), and is cognate with Dutch duimeling (“thumbstall”), German Däumling (“thumbstall”), German Low German Dümelke (“thumbstall”), Saterland Frisian Düümelke (“thumbstall”), Scots thummle, thumble (“thimble”). The verb is derived from the noun.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈθɪmb(ə)l/
- British English: /ˈθɪmb(ə)l/
Usage
- British usage
- Obsolete
- Intransitive verb
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
knight of the thimble
lady's thimble
pea and thimble
thimble and pea
thimble connector
thimble-eye
thimble-rigger
thimble-rig