fathom - Definition of fathom at Define.com Dictionary and Thesaurus (define fathom)

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:

Fathom \Fath"om\ (f[a^][th]"[u^]m), noun [OE. fadme, fa[eth]me, AS. f[ae][eth]m fathom, the embracing arms; akin to OS. fa[eth]mos the outstretched arms, D. vadem, vaam, fathom, OHG. fadom, fadum, G. faden fathom, thread, Icel. fa[eth]mr fathom, Sw. famn, Dan. favn; cf. Gr. ?????????? to spread out, ??????? outspread, flat, L. patere to lie open, extend. Cf. {Patent}, {Petal}.]

1. A measure of length, containing six feet; the space to which a man can extend his arms; -- used chiefly in measuring cables, cordage, and the depth of navigable water by soundings.

2. The measure or extant of one's capacity; depth, as of intellect; profundity; reach; penetration. [R.]

Another of his fathom they have none To lead their business. --Shak.

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:

Fathom \Fath"om\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Fathomed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Fathoming}.]

1. To encompass with the arms extended or encircling; to measure by throwing the arms about; to span. [Obs.] --Purchas.

2. To measure by a sounding line; especially, to sound the depth of; to penetrate, measure, and comprehend; to get to the bottom of. --Dryden.

The page of life that was spread out before me seemed dull and commonplace, only because I had not fathomed its deeper import. --Hawthotne.

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

fathom

noun

1: a linear unit of measurement (equal to 6 feet) for water depth [syn: {fthm}]

2: (mining) a unit of volume (equal to 6 cubic feet) used in measuring bodies of ore [syn: {fthm}]

verb

1: come to understand [syn: {penetrate}, {bottom}]

2: measure the depth of (a body of water) with a sounding line [syn: {sound}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

155 Moby Thesaurus words for "fathom": absorb, answer, appraise, appreciate, apprehend, ascertain, assay, assess, assimilate, be acquainted with, be apprised of, be aware of, be cognizant of, be conscious of, be conversant with, be informed, be with one, bottom, calculate, calibrate, caliper, cast the lead, catch, catch on, check a parameter, clear up, cognize, comprehend, compute, conceive, conceptualize, crack, debug, decipher, decode, delve into, determine, dial, dig, dig into, digest, discern, disentangle, divide, divine, do, dope, dope out, estimate, evaluate, explain, explore, figure out, find out, find the answer, find the solution, follow, gauge, get, get hold of, get right, get the drift, get the idea, get the picture, go into, graduate, grasp, guess, guess right, have, have information about, have it, have it taped, have knowledge of, hit it, indagate, interpret, investigate, ken, know, learn, look into, make a sounding, make out, master, measure, mensurate, mete, meter, open the lock, pace, peer into, penetrate, perceive, pierce, plumb, plumb the depths, plumb-line, poke into, possess, prehend, prize, probe, pry into, psych, psych out, puzzle out, quantify, quantize, rate, ravel, ravel out, read, realize, recognize, resolve, riddle, savvy, search into, search out, see, seize, seize the meaning, sense, sift, size, size up, sling the lead, solve, sort out, sound, span, step, survey, take, take a reading, take in, take soundings, triangulate, understand, undo, unlock, unravel, unriddle, unscramble, untangle, untwist, unweave, valuate, value, weigh, work, work out, wot, wot of

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

Fathom (Old A.S. faethm, "bosom," or the outstretched arms), a span of six feet (Acts 27:28). Gr. orguia (from orego, "I stretch"), the distance between the extremities of both arms fully stretched out.