A fathom is a unit of length in the Imperial system (and the derived U.S. customary units), used especially for measuring the depth of water.
There are 2 yards (6 feet) in a fathom. Based on the distance between the fingertips of a man's outstretched arms, its size varied slightly depending on whether it was defined as a thousandth of an (Admiralty) nautical mile or as a multiple of the imperial yard. Formerly, the term was used for any of severa...
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A fathom is a unit of length in the Imperial system (and the derived U.S. customary units), used especially for measuring the depth of water.
There are 2 yards (6 feet) in a fathom. Based on the distance between the fingertips of a man's outstretched arms, its size varied slightly depending on whether it was defined as a thousandth of an (Admiralty) nautical mile or as a multiple of the imperial yard. Formerly, the term was used for any of several units of length varying around 5 and 5½ feet.
The name derives from the Old English word fæðm meaning embracing arms or a pair of outstretched arms. In Middle English it was fathme.
A brass was a unit of length equal to a fathom. A cable length, based on the length of a ship's cable, has been variously reckoned as equal to 100 or 120 fathoms. At one time, a quarter meant a fourth of a fathom.
Abbreviations: f, fath, fm, fth, fthm.
One fathom is equal to:
In 1959 the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United...
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