handbreadth

/ˈhan(d)-ˌbretth -ˌbreth, -ˌbredth/ (ame, mw)

handbreadth — 名詞

1. a historical measurement for short lengths, equal to the span across the four fi

1.名詞
釋義

手幅

以手掌寬度作為長度單位的古代測量方式

a historical measurement for short lengths, equal to the span across the four fingers of one hand — about 7 to 10 centimetres

例句

Eleni laid her hand across the cloth and counted five handbreadths.

Eleni 用手比量那塊布，數出五手幅的寬度。

countable: 'five handbreadths' as an informal measurement

According to Kwasi, his palm measured exactly one handbreadth across.

據 Kwasi 所說，他的手掌量起來正好一手幅寬。

同義詞
  • hand

    a fixed unit of exactly 4 inches, used for measuring horses — unlike the variable handbreadth

  • palm

    a similar ancient measurement based on hand width, sometimes used interchangeably with handbreadth

  • span

    the distance from thumb tip to little-finger tip when stretched (~9 inches), much larger than a handbreadth

文法句型

[number] + handbreadths

a handbreadth + wide/across

用法筆記

Appears mainly in biblical passages and historical texts. In the Hebrew Bible, a handbreadth (tefach) was roughly one-sixth of a cubit. Not used in modern measurement systems.

常見錯誤

❌The horse was fifteen handbreadths tall.
✅The horse was fifteen hands tall.
💡'handbreadth' is a variable ancient unit; for horse height, use the fixed 'hand' (exactly 4 inches).