thumb

thumb
—thumbless, adj. —thumblike, adj.
/thum/, n.
1. the short, thick, inner digit of the human hand, next to the forefinger.
2. the corresponding digit in other animals; pollex.
3. the part of a glove or mitten for containing this digit.
4. Archit. an ovolo or echinus molding.
5. all thumbs, awkward; clumsy; bungling: The visitor almost knocked over a vase and seemed to be all thumbs.
6. thumbs down, a gesture or expression of dissent or disapproval: We turned thumbs down to that suggestion.
7. thumbs up, a gesture or expression of assent or approval.
8. under one's thumb, under the power or influence of; subordinate to. Also, under the thumb of.
v.t.
9. to soil or wear with the thumbs in handling, as the pages of a book.
10. to glance through (the pages of a book, leaflet, etc.) quickly.
11. to play (a guitar or other instrument) with or as with the thumbs.
12. (of a hitchhiker) to solicit or get (a ride) by pointing the thumb in the desired direction of travel.
13. thumb one's nose,
a. to put one's thumb to one's nose and extend the fingers as a crudely defiant or contemptuous gesture.
b. to express defiance or contempt; dismiss or reject contemptuously.
[bef. 900; ME; OE thuma; c. D duim, OS, OHG dumo (G Daumen), ON thumall; akin to L tumere to swell (TUMOR)]

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also called  pollex 

      short, thick first digit of the human hand and of the lower-primate hand and foot. It differs from other digits in having only two phalanges (tubular bones of the fingers and toes). The thumb also differs in having much freedom of movement and being opposable to tips of other digits. The corresponding first digit (most medial digit) in other vertebrates is also called the thumb, especially if it has some manipulative or special ability (e.g., in the raccoon and the bat).

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Thumb — Thumb, n. [OE. thombe, thoumbe, [thorn]ume, AS. [thorn][=u]ma; akin to OFries. th[=u]ma, D. duim, G. daumen, OHG. d[=u]mo, Icel. [thorn]umall, Dan. tommelfinger, Sw. tumme, and perhaps to L. tumere to swell. [root]56. Cf. {Thimble}, {Tumid}.] The …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Thumb — bezeichnet: Thumb (Architektenfamilie), Vorarlberger Architektenfamilie des Barock Thumb (Band), Crossover Band Thumb von Neuburg, Adelsfamilie zur Zeit des Heiligen Römischen Reichs Thumbnail, Miniaturansicht eines Bildes einen Prozessor… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • thumb — [thum] n. [ME (with unhistoric b) < OE thuma, akin to Ger daume(n) < IE base * tēu , to swell, increase > L tumor: basic sense, “enlarged finger”] 1. the short, thick digit of the human hand that is nearest the wrist and is opposable to… …   English World dictionary

  • thumb — ► NOUN ▪ the short, thick first digit of the hand, set lower and apart from the other four and opposable to them. ► VERB 1) press, touch, or indicate with one s thumb. 2) turn over (pages) with one s thumb. 3) (thumbed) (of a book s pages) worn… …   English terms dictionary

  • Thumb — Thumb, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Thumbed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Thumbing}.] 1. To handle awkwardly. Johnson. [1913 Webster] 2. To play with the thumbs, or with the thumbs and fingers; as, to thumb over a tune. [1913 Webster] 3. To soil or wear with the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Thumb — Thumb  режим процессоров ARM, в котором используется сокращенная система команд. Она состоит из 36 команд, взятых из стандартного набора 32 разрядных команд архитектуры ARM и преобразованных до 16 разрядных кодов. Длина команд Thumb… …   Википедия

  • Thumb — Thumb, v. i. To play with the thumb or thumbs; to play clumsily; to thrum. [1913 Webster] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • thumb — index peruse Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • thumb — UK US /θʌm/ noun [C] ● get/be given the thumbs down Cf. get/be given the thumbs down ● get/be given the thumbs up Cf. get/be given the thumbs up …   Financial and business terms

  • Thumb — For other uses, see Thumb (disambiguation). Thumb The Thumb. Latin pollex, digitus primus, digitus I Artery …   Wikipedia

  • thumb — [[t]θʌ̱m[/t]] thumbs, thumbing, thumbed 1) N COUNT Your thumb is the short thick piece on the side of your hand next to your four fingers. She bit the tip of her left thumb, not looking at me. 2) N COUNT The thumb of a glove is the part which a… …   English dictionary

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