finger
finger Lexical Profile
finger Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Any of the five terminating digits of the human hand, especially one of the four other than the thumb.
"She wore a delicate silver ring on her fourth finger."
The part of a glove designed to cover a single digit of the hand.
"He noticed a small hole worn through the index finger of his winter glove."
Something that resembles a digit of the hand in shape, projection, or function, such as a narrow strip of land, a cloud formation, or an oblong piece of food.
"A long finger of land extended out into the calm bay."
An informal unit of measurement for liquor in a glass, equal to the width of one digit.
"The host poured two fingers of whiskey into the heavy crystal tumbler."
• verb
To touch, feel, or turn over something nervously or casually with the digits of the hand.
"He nervously fingered the collar of his shirt while waiting for the interview to begin."
To play or mark a musical instrument or score using a specific sequence of digits.
"The instructor showed the student how to finger the difficult chord progression on the guitar."
To identify, inform on, or point out someone as a suspect or culprit (informal).
"The witness fingered the suspect during the official police lineup."
Word Nuance & Usage
In strict anatomical and everyday usage, the thumb is often distinguished from the other four digits, though 'finger' can also refer collectively to any of the five digits of the hand.
• Rhymes for finger
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'finger', derived from Proto-Germanic '*fingraz', which is widely thought to be connected to the prehistoric root '*penkwe' meaning 'five'.