Yesterday we asked, what does “fathom” mean and where did the term originate?

Today a fathom is now a nautical unit of length equal to six feet. Fathom was originally a land measuring term derived from the Anglo-Saxon word “faethm” meaning to embrace. In those days, most measurements were based on average size of parts of the body, such as the hand (horses are still measured this way) or the foot (that’s why 12 inches are so named). A fathom is the average distance from fingertip to fingertip of the outstretched arms of a man — about six feet. Since a man stretches out his arms to embrace his sweetheart, Britain’s Parliament declared that distance be called a fathom and it became a unit of measure.

The word was also used to describe taking the measure or “to fathom” something. Today, of course, when one is trying to figure something out, they are trying to “fathom” it.