fathomとは意味・読み方・使い方

発音

• (Received 発音) IPA^(key): /ˈfað(ə)m/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfæðəm/
• (dialectal, 廃れた用法) IPA^(key): /ˈfædəm/^[1]
• ハイフネーション: fa‧thom

語源 1

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],^[2] from 古期英語 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]

Sense 1 (“unit for water depth”) is derived from sense 3.1 (“act of stretching out one’s arms away from the sides of the torso”).

名詞

fathom (複数形 fathoms)

1. (chiefly nautical, historical) Originally, the distance between an adult man's arms stretched out away from the sides of his torso so that they make a straight line perpendicular to his body, measured from the tips of the longest fingers of each hand, generally reckoned to be six feet (about 1.8 metres); subsequently used as a unit for water depth but now generally replaced by the metre.

   Synonyms: brace, (in Greek contexts) orguia, (廃れた用法) stade

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Acts 27:27–28, column 2:

     [T]he ſhipmen deemed that they drew neere to ſome countrey: And ſounded, and found it twentie fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they ſounded againe, and found it fifteene fathoms.

   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene i], page 5, column 1:

     Full fadom fiue thy Father lies,
     Of his bones are Corrall made:
     Those are pearles that were his eies,
     Nothing of him that doth fade,
     But doth suffer a Sea-change
     Into someting rich, & strange

   • 1983, Richard Ellis, “The Predators”, in The Book of Sharks, 1st paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, published 1989, →ISBN, page 7:

     At fifty fathoms, the waters of the Southern Ocean are dark blue.

2. (figuratively)
   1. (chiefly in the plural) An unspecified depth.
   2. (archaic or obsolete) Depth of insight; mental reach or scope.
      • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragœdy of Othello, the Moore of Venice. […] (First Quarto), London: […] N[icholas] O[kes] for Thomas Walkley, […], published 1622, OCLC 724111485, [Act I, scene i]:

        Another of his fathome they haue not / To leade their buſineſſe, […]

3. (obsolete)
   1. The act of stretching out one's arms away from the sides of the torso so that they make a straight line perpendicular to the body.
   2. Someone or something that is embraced.
      • 1601 (first performance), Thomas Dekker, Satiro-mastix. Or The Vntrussing of the Humorous Poet. […], London: […] [Edward Allde] for Edward White, […], published 1602, OCLC 837266771, signature E, verso:

        Thy Bride, thy choice, thy vvife, / She that is novv thy fadom, […] Kneele at thy feete, obay in euerie thing, / So euerie Father is a priuate King.

   3. (figuratively) Control, grasp.
      • 1604 (first performance), [Thomas Middleton], “Inductio”, in Michaelmas Terme. […], London: […] [Thomas Purfoot and Edward Allde] for A[rthur] I[ohnson] […], published 1607, OCLC 60757325, signature A2, recto:

        So; novv knovv I vvhere I am, me thinkes already / I graſpe beſt part of the Autumnian bleſſing / In my contentious fadome, […]

      • 1622 May 24 (licensing date)​, John Fletcher; Philip Massinger, “The Prophetesse”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, OCLC 3083972, Act II, scene i, page 29:

        Yes: / you have blovvne his ſvvolne pride to that vaſtnes, / as he beleeves the earth is in his fadom, / this makes him qute forget his humble Being: […]

使用する際の注意点

At sea, the fathom is exclusively a measure of water depth. Therefore, a boat 1,000 fathoms offshore is not 6,000 feet from the shore, but rather at the nearest point to shore where the water depth is 6,000 feet.

派生語

• fathometer

参考

• deep six

語源 2

From Middle English fathmen, fadmen (“to encircle (something) with the arms, embrace; to feel, grope; to measure by the ell (または perhaps the fathom)”) [and other forms],^[4] from 古期英語 fæðmian, from Proto-Germanic *faþmōjan, from *faþm (“outstretched arms, embrace; fathom (unit of measurement)”):^[5] see further at etymology 1.

動詞

fathom (三人称単数 現在形 fathoms, 現在分詞 fathoming, 過去形および過去分詞形 fathomed)

1. (transitive)
   1. (also figuratively) To measure the depth of (water); to take a sounding of; to sound.
   2. (archaic or obsolete) To encircle (someone または something) with outstretched arms; specifically, to measure the circumference or (rare) length of something.
   3. (figuratively) Often followed by out: to deeply understand (someone または something); to get to the bottom of.

      Synonyms: figure out, puzzle out, work out

      Coordinate term: grok

      I can’t for the life of me fathom what this means.

      • 2018 April 10, Daniel Taylor, “Liverpool go through after Mohamed Salah stops Manchester City fightback”, in The Guardian (London)‎^[2]:

        Otamendi’s selection ahead of Vincent Kompany was difficult to fathom and, apart from Fernandinho, City’s line-up was otherwise filled with attacking players.

   4. (obsolete) To embrace (someone または something).
2. (intransitive)
   1. To measure a depth; to sound.
   2. (figuratively) To conduct an examination or inquiry; to investigate.

派生語

参照