Inch
/ɪntʃ/noun
A unit of length equal to one-twelfth of a foot.
Did you know?The English inch ultimately comes from Latin uncia, meaning “one-twelfth,” the same root behind ounce, so this tiny measure was born from Roman fraction magic, not random convenience.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*óynos
“one”
Latin
Latin
uncia
“one-twelfth; a twelfth part, especially of a foot or pound”
Old French
OF
unce
“an inch; a small measure”
Old English
OE
ynce
“an inch”
Middle English
English
inch
“a unit of length equal to one-twelfth of a foot”