Cubit
/ˈkjuːbɪt/noun
An ancient unit of length based on the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger.
Did you know?The cubit became a sacred architectural standard in ancient Egypt and the Near East, where rulers and builders used the human body itself to impose cosmic order on stone.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃ewbʰ-
“to bend, turn, or curve”
Latin
Latin
cubitum
“elbow”
Late Latin
Latin
cubitus
“elbow; a forearm-length measure”
Old French
Old French
cubit
“a cubit; a measure of length”
Middle English
English
cubit
“a unit of length equal to the forearm from elbow to fingertip”
Modern English
English
cubit
“an ancient unit of length based on the forearm”