thimble

thimble
thimblelike, adj.
/thim"beuhl/, n.
1. a small cap, usually of metal, worn over the fingertip to protect it when pushing a needle through cloth in sewing.
2. Mech. any of various similar devices or attachments.
3. Naut. a metal ring with a concave groove on the outside, used to line the outside of a ring of rope forming an eye.
4. a sleeve of sheet metal passing through the wall of a chimney, for holding the end of a stovepipe or the like.
5. a thimble-shaped printing element with raised characters on the exterior: used in a type of electronic typewriter or computer printer (thimble printer).
[bef. 1000; ME thym(b)yl, OE thymel; akin to ON thumall thumb of a glove. See THUMB, -LE]

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      small, bell-shaped implement designed to protect the end of the finger when sewing. Among the earliest known thimbles, dating from before AD 79, were those made of bronze and found at Pompeii and Herculaneum. Modern thimbles are almost exclusively produced in plastic or soft metals. Purely decorative thimbles are produced in an endless variety of materials and forms as collectibles.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Thimble — Thim ble, n. [OE. thimbil, AS. ??mel, fr. ??ma a thumb. [root]56. See {Thumb}.] 1. A kind of cap or cover, or sometimes a broad ring, for the end of the finger, used in sewing to protect the finger when pushing the needle through the material. It …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • thimble — O.E. þymel sheath or covering for the thumb, from thuma (see THUMB (Cf. thumb)) + el, suffix used in forming names of instruments (Cf. HANDLE (Cf. handle)). Excrescent b began mid 15c. (Cf. HUMBLE (Cf. humble), NIMBLE (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • thimble — ► NOUN ▪ a metal or plastic cap with a closed end, worn to protect the finger and push the needle in sewing. ORIGIN Old English, related to THUMB(Cf. ↑thumb) …   English terms dictionary

  • thimble — [thim′bəl] n. [ME thimbel (with unhistoric b ) < OE thymel, thumbstall < thuma,THUMB + el, dim. suffix] 1. a small cap of metal, plastic, etc. worn as a protection on the finger that pushes the needle in sewing 2. anything like this; esp.,… …   English World dictionary

  • Thimble — This article is about the protective shield worn on the finger or thumb. For the wire rope termination device, see Wire rope#Thimbles. A thimble …   Wikipedia

  • thimble — UK [ˈθɪmb(ə)l] / US noun [countable] Word forms thimble : singular thimble plural thimbles a small metal or plastic cup that you wear on your finger to protect it when you are sewing …   English dictionary

  • thimble — Bushing Bush ing, n. [See 4th {Bush}.] 1. The operation of fitting bushes, or linings, into holes or places where wear is to be received, or friction diminished, as pivot holes, etc. [1913 Webster] 2. (Mech.) A bush or lining; sometimes called a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • thimble — [OE] A thimble is etymologically a ‘thumb implement’. The word goes back to Old English thymel, a derivative of thūma ‘thumb’. In Old English (where it is recorded only once) it was used for a ‘finger stall’. By the time it reappears in the 15th… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • thimble — [[t]θɪ̱mb(ə)l[/t]] thimbles N COUNT A thimble is a small metal or plastic object which you use to protect your finger when you are sewing …   English dictionary

  • thimble — [OE] A thimble is etymologically a ‘thumb implement’. The word goes back to Old English thymel, a derivative of thūma ‘thumb’. In Old English (where it is recorded only once) it was used for a ‘finger stall’. By the time it reappears in the 15th… …   Word origins

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