fathom
fathom Lexical Profile
fathom Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To understand or comprehend a difficult problem, mystery, or motivation after much thought.
"Historians still struggle to fathom why the thriving ancient settlement was so suddenly abandoned."
To measure the depth of water using a sounding line or sonar equipment.
"Early navigators used a weighted rope to fathom the coastal channels before bringing their vessels ashore."
• noun
A unit of length equal to six feet (approximately 1.83 meters), used chiefly in nautical contexts to measure the depth of water.
"The ship dropped anchor in ten fathoms of calm water near the harbor entrance."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English fæðm ('outstretched arms, embrace'), derived from a Proto-Germanic root meaning 'to spread out.' Because sailors historically measured sounding lines by holding the rope between their outstretched hands—roughly six feet—the word evolved into both a nautical unit of depth and a verb meaning to get to the bottom of a mystery.