Current Events > CE Word of the day - fathom

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Today's word is fathom.
As defined by Merriam-Webster:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fathom

Did fathom Always Refer to a Measurement?

Verb

Fathom comes to us from Old English fthm, meaning "outstretched arms." The noun fathom, which now commonly refers to a measure (especially of depth) of six feet, was originally used for the distance, fingertip to fingertip, created by stretching one's arms straight out from the sides of the body. In one of its earliest uses, the verb fathom meant to encircle something with the arms as if for measuring and was also a synonym for "embrace." In the 1600s, however, fathom took on the meaning of using a sounding line to measure depth. At the same time, the verb also developed senses synonymous with "probe" or "investigate," and is now frequently used to refer to the act of getting to the bottom of something (figuratively speaking).

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