Etymology
1. O.E.
fæðm "length of the outstretched arm" (a measure of about six feet), also "arms, grasp," and, figuratively "power," from P.Gmc.
*fathmaz "embrace" (cf. O.N.
faðmr "embrace, bosom," O.S.
fathmos "the outstretched arms," Du.
vadem "a measure of six feet"), from PIE
*pot-/*pet- denoting "stretching out" (cf. Gk.
petalon "leaf," L.
patere "to be open"). The v. meaning of "take soundings" is 1607; its figurative sense of "get to the bottom of, understand" is 1625.
2. From Middle English fathome, fadom, fadme (“unit of length of about six feet; depth of six feet for nautical soundings; (loosely) cubit; ell”) [and other forms], from Old English fæþm, fæþme (“encircling or outstretched arms, bosom, embrace; envelopment; control, grasp, power; fathom (unit of measurement); cubit”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *faþm (“outstretched arms, embrace; fathom (unit of measurement)”), from Proto-Germanic *faþmaz (“outstretched arms, embrace; fathom (unit of measurement)”), from Proto-Indo-European *pet-, *peth₂- (“to spread out; to fly”).
3. Cognates
4. * Ancient Greek πέταλος (pétalos, “broad; flat”), πετᾰ́ννῡμῐ (petắnnūmĭ, “to open; to spread out; to be dispersed or scattered”) (whence English petal)
5. * Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌸𐌰 (faþa, “fench; hedge”)
6. * Latin pateō (“to extend, increase; to be accessible, attainable, open; to be exposed, vulnerable”)
7. * Low German fadem, faem (“cubit; thread”)
8. * Middle Dutch vadem (modern Dutch vaam, vadem (“fathom”))
9. * Norwegian Bokmål favn (“an embrace; a fathom”)
10. * Old Frisian fethm (“outstretched arms”)
11. * Old High German fadam, fadum (“cubit”) (Middle High German vade (“enclosure”), vadem, vaden, modern German Faden (“fathom; filament, thread”))
12. * Old Norse faþmr (Danish favn (“an embrace; a fathom”), Icelandic faðmur (“an embrace”), Swedish famn (“the arms, bosom; an embrace”))
13. * Old Welsh etem (“thread”) See: Latin '
pateō', German, old spelling '
Faden'.
Verbs referencing "fathom"
English
petal, Latin
pateo, Greek, Ancient
πετάννυμι.