Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Finger

Fin′ger

(fĭṉ′gẽr)
,
Noun.
[AS.
finger
; akin to D.
vinger
, OS. & OHG.
fingar
, G.
finger
, Icel.
fingr
, Sw. & Dan.
finger
, Goth.
figgrs
; of unknown origin; perh. akin to E.
fang
.]
1.
One of the five terminating members of the hand; a digit; esp., one of the four extremities of the hand, other than the thumb.
2.
Anything that does the work of a finger; as, the pointer of a clock, watch, or other registering machine;
especially
(Mech.)
a small projecting rod, wire, or piece, which is brought into contact with an object to effect, direct, or restrain a motion.
3.
The breadth of a finger, or the fourth part of the hand; a measure of nearly an inch; also, the length of finger, a measure in domestic use in the United States, of about four and a half inches or one eighth of a yard.
A piece of steel three
fingers
thick.
Bp. Wilkins.
4.
Skill in the use of the fingers, as in playing upon a musical instrument.
[R.]
She has a good
finger
.
Busby.
Ear finger
,
the little finger.
–
Finger alphabet
.
See
Dactylology
.
–
Finger bar
,
the horizontal bar, carrying slotted spikes, or fingers, through which the vibratory knives of mowing and reaping machines play.
–
Finger board
(Mus.)
,
the part of a stringed instrument against which the fingers press the strings to vary the tone; the keyboard of a piano, organ, etc.; manual.
–
Finger bowl
Finger glass
,
a bowl or glass to hold water for rinsing the fingers at table.
–
Finger flower
(Bot.)
,
the foxglove.
–
Finger grass
(Bot.)
,
a kind of grass (
Panicum sanguinale
) with slender radiating spikes; common crab grass. See
Crab grass
, under
Crab
.
–
Finger nut
,
a fly nut or thumb nut.
–
Finger plate
,
a strip of metal, glass, etc., to protect a painted or polished door from finger marks.
–
Finger post
,
a guide post bearing an index finger.
–
Finger reading
,
reading printed in relief so as to be sensible to the touch; – so made for the blind.
–
Finger shell
(Zool.)
,
a marine shell (
Pholas dactylus
) resembling a finger in form.
–
Finger sponge
(Zool.)
,
a sponge having finger-shaped lobes, or branches.
–
Finger stall
,
a cover or shield for a finger.
–
Finger steel
,
a steel instrument for whetting a currier’s knife.
To burn one's fingers
.
See under
Burn
.
–
To have a finger in
,
to be concerned in.
[Colloq.]
–
To have at one's fingers' ends
,
to be thoroughly familiar with.
[Colloq.]

Fin′ger

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Fingered
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Fingering
.]
1.
To touch with the fingers; to handle; to meddle with.
Let the papers lie;
You would be
fingering
them to anger me.
Shakespeare
2.
To touch lightly; to toy with.
3.
(Mus.)
(a)
To perform on an instrument of music.
(b)
To mark the notes of (a piece of music) so as to guide the fingers in playing.
4.
To take thievishly; to pilfer; to purloin.
Shak.
5.
To execute, as any delicate work.

Fin′ger

,
Verb.
I.
(Mus.)
To use the fingers in playing on an instrument.
Busby.

Webster 1828 Edition

Finger

FIN'GER

,
Noun.
fing'ger.
1.
One of the extreme parts of the hand, a small member shooting to a point. The fingers have joints which peculiarly fit them to be the instruments of catching, seizing and holding. When we speak of the fingers generally, we include the thumb; as the five fingers. But we often make a distinction. The fingers and thumb consist of fifteen bones; three to each. The word is applied to some other animals as well as to man.
2.
A certain measure. We say a finger's breadth, or the breadth of the four fingers, or of three fingers.
3.
The hand.
Who teacheth my fingers to fight. Ps. 146.
4.
The finger or fingers of God, in scripture, signify his power, strength or operation.
The magicians said to Pharaoh, this is the finger of God.
Ex. 8.
5.
In music, ability; skill in playing on a keyed instrument. She has a good finger.

FIN'GER

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To handle with the fingers; to touch lightly; to toy. The covetous man delights to finger money.
2.
To touch or take thievishly; to pilfer.
3.
To touch an instrument of music; to play on an instrument.
4.
To perform work with the fingers; to execute delicate work.
5.
To handle without violence.

FIN'GER

,
Verb.
I.
To dispose the fingers aptly in playing on an instrument.

Definition 2024

Finger

Finger

See also: finger

English

Proper noun

Finger

  1. A surname​.
  2. A city in Tennessee.

German

Etymology

From Old High German fingar, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós. Compare Low German Finger, Dutch vinger, English finger, Danish finger.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈfɪŋɐ]

Noun

Finger m ‎(genitive Fingers, plural Finger, diminutive Fingerchen n or Fingerlein n)

  1. finger

Declension

Derived terms

German Low German

Etymology

From Old Saxon fingar, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós.

Noun

Finger m (plural Finger or Fingern or Fingers)

  1. finger (of the hand)

Derived terms

  • Fingerafdruck
  • Fingerbrede
  • Fingerbreed
  • Fingerledd
  • Fingerlidd
  • Fingernagel
  • Fingerpick
  • Fingerring
  • Fingerspitz
  • Fingerümfang
  • lütt Finger
  • lüttje Finger
  • Middelfinger
  • Ringfinger
  • Wiesfinger

See also

References

  • Der neue SASS: Plattdeutsches Wörterbuch, Plattdeutsch - Hochdeutsch, Hochdeutsch - Plattdeutsch. Plattdeutsche Rechtschreibung, sixth revised edition (2011, ISBN 978-3-529-03000-0, Wachholtz Verlag, Neumünster)

Saterland Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian finger, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz. More at finger.

Noun

Finger m

  1. (anatomy) finger

finger

finger

See also: Finger

English

A human finger.

Noun

finger ‎(plural fingers)

  1. (anatomy) One of the long extremities of the hand, sometimes excluding the thumb.
    Human hands have five fingers: the thumb, the forefinger (or index finger), the middle finger, the ring finger and the little finger.‎
    • 1915, Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson, The How and Why Library, Life, Section VIII,
      We have five senses and five fingers and five toes. The starfish eats with five fingers.
    • 1916, The Finger Talk of Chicago's Wheat-Pit, Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 89, p. 81:
      Each finger extended represents one-eighth of a cent. Thus when all four fingers and the thumb are extended, all being spread out from one another, it means five-eighths.
    • 2014 March 29, “Don’t cramp my style”, in The Economist, volume 410, number 8880:
      In 1993 [Victor Candia] noticed that the fingers of his left hand were starting to curl up as he played [on his guitar]. It felt to him as if a magnet in his palm were preventing him from opening them. A week later, he could not play at all.
  2. A piece of food resembling such an extremity.
    chocolate fingers; fish fingers; cheese fingers‎
  3. Anything that does work of a finger, such as the pointer of a clock or watch, or a small projecting rod, wire, or piece in a mechanical device which is brought into contact with an object to effect, direct, or restrain a motion.
  4. (also finger pier) A walkway extending from a dock, an airport terminal, etc, used by passengers to board a waiting ship or aeroplane.
  5. An amount of liquid, usually alcohol, in a glass, with the depth of a finger's width.
    Hey buddy, is something bothering ya? Want me to pour you a finger?‎
  6. The breadth of a finger, or the fourth part of the hand; a measure of nearly an inch; also, the length of finger, a measure in domestic use in the United States, of about four and a half inches or one eighth of a yard.
    • Bishop John Wilkins (1614-1672)
      a piece of steel three fingers thick
  7. Skill in the use of the fingers, as in playing upon a musical instrument.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

finger ‎(third-person singular simple present fingers, present participle fingering, simple past and past participle fingered)

  1. (transitive) To identify or point out. Also put the finger on. To report to or identify for the authorities, rat on, rat out, squeal on, tattle on, turn in, to finger.
  2. (transitive) To poke or probe with a finger or fingers.
    • Shakespeare
      Let the papers lie; / You would be fingering them to anger me.
    • 2009, Win Blevins, Dreams Beneath Your Feet, page 135:
      Feeling tender around the face, she fingered herself gingerly. Yes, it was swollen, very sore around the cheekbones, with dried blood on the outsides of her eye sockets, below her nostrils, and below one ear.
  3. (transitive) To use the fingers to penetrate and sexually stimulate one's own or another person's **** or anus; to fingerbang
    • 2007, Madeline Bastinado, A Talent for Surrender, page 201:
      She fingered him, spreading the gel and sliding the tip of her finger inside him.
    • 2008, Thomas Wainwright (editor), Erotic Tales, page 56:
      She smiled, a look of amazement on her face, as if thinking that maybe this was the cock that she had been fantasizing about just now, as she fingered herself to a massive, body-engulfing orgasm.
  4. (transitive, music) To use specified finger positions in producing notes on a musical instrument.
  5. (transitive, music) To provide instructions in written music as to which fingers are to be used to produce particular notes or passages.
  6. (transitive, computing) To query (a user's status) using the Finger protocol.
    • 1996, "Yves Bellefeuille", List of useful freeware, comp.archives.msdos.d, Usenet:
      PGP mail welcome (finger me for my key).
  7. (obsolete) To steal; to purloin.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
  8. (transitive, obsolete) To execute, as any delicate work.

Translations

Synonyms

See also

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fenɡər/, [ˈfeŋˀɐ]

Noun

finger c (singular definite fingeren, plural indefinite fingre)

  1. finger
Inflection
External links

Etymology 2

See fingere ‎(“to simulate”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fenɡɡeːr/, [ˈfeŋɡ̊eːˀɐ̯], [ˈfeŋɡ̊eɐ̯ˀ]

Verb

finger or fingér

  1. imperative of fingere

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós.

Noun

finger m ‎(definite singular fingeren, indefinite plural fingre or fingrer, definite plural fingrene)

  1. (anatomy) a finger

Related terms

Derived terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós.

Noun

finger m ‎(definite singular fingeren, indefinite plural fingrar, definite plural fingrane)

  1. (anatomy) a finger

Related terms

Derived terms

References

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *fingraz, which is from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós, *penkʷ-ros, a suffixed form of *pénkʷe ‎(“five”). Compare Old Frisian finger, Old Saxon fingar, Old High German fingar, Old Norse fingr, Gothic 𐍆𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍂𐍃 ‎(figgrs).

Noun

finger m

  1. finger

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Old Frisian

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós. Compare Old English finger, Old Saxon fingar, Old High German fingar, Old Norse fingr.

Noun

finger m

  1. finger

Declension

Descendants

Old Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz.

Noun

finger m

  1. finger

Declension

or (with neuter gender)

Descendants

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish finger, from Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfɪŋɛr/

Noun

finger n, c

  1. (anatomy) a finger (the body part)

Declension

Genus

The neuter declension is much more common than the common declination.

Derived terms

  • fingerfärdighet
  • fingerfärg
  • fingerhål
  • fingerkrok
  • fingerled
  • fingerlik
  • fingernagel
  • fingerring
  • fingerskiva
  • fingerspets
  • fingersvamp
  • fingersättning
  • fingertopp
  • fingertuta
  • fingervante
  • fingervarm

See also

References

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian finger, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós. Compare English finger, Dutch vinger, Low German and German Finger, Danish finger.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfɪŋər/

Noun

finger c ‎(plural fingers)

  1. finger

Etymology

From Middle English finger, from Old English finger ‎(“finger”), from Proto-Germanic *fingraz ‎(“finger”) (compare West Frisian finger, Low German/German Finger, Dutch vinger, Danish finger), from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷrós, *penkʷ-ros 'fifth' (compare Old Irish cóicer 'set of five people', Old Armenian հինգեր-որդ ‎(hinger-ord, “fifth”)), from *pénkʷe ‎(“five”). More at five.

Pronunciation

Similar Results