cubit

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: cu=bit

CIDE DICTIONARY

cubit, n. [L. cubitum, cubitus; elbow, ell, cubit, fr. (because the elbow serves for leaning upon) cubare to lie down, recline; cf. Gr. ky`biton elbow, ky`ptein to bend, stoop, kyfo`s bent, stooping, humpbacked. Cf. Incumbent, Covey.].

•  The forearm; the ulna, a bone of the arm extending from elbow to wrist.  [1913 Webster]
•  A measure of length, being the distance from the elbow to the extremity of the middle finger.  [1913 Webster]

  " The cubit varies in length in different countries, the Roman cubit being 17.47 inches, the Greek 18.20, the Hebrew somewhat longer, and the English 18 inches."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

cubit, n. an ancient measure of length, approximately equal to the length of a forearm.

Etymology

ME f. L cubitum elbow, cubit

ROGET THESAURUS

cubit

Length

N length, longitude, span, mileage, distance, line, bar, rule, stripe, streak, spoke, radius, lengthening, prolongation, production, protraction, tension, tensure, extension, line, nail, inch, hand, palm, foot, cubit, yard, ell, fathom, rood, pole, furlong, mile, league, chain, link, arpent, handbreadth, jornada, kos, vara, astronomical unit, AU, light- year, parsec, nanometer, nm, micron, micrometer, millimicron, millimeter, mm, centimeter, cm, meter, kilometer, km, pedometer, perambulator, scale, long, longsome, lengthy, wiredrawn, outstretched, lengthened, sesquipedalian, interminable, no end of, macrocolous, linear, lineal, longitudinal, oblong, as long as my arm, as long as today and tomorrow, unshortened &c (shorten), lengthwise, at length, longitudinally, endlong, along, tandem, in a line, in perspective, from end to end, from stem to stern, from head to foot, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, from top to toe, fore and aft.