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Finger

//ˈfɪŋɡə// name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Proper Noun

1
A surname.
2
A city in Tennessee.

Noun

1
A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb.
"Humans have two hands and ten fingers. Each hand has one thumb and four fingers."
2
one of the parts of a glove that provides covering for a finger or thumb wordnet
3
Similar or similar-looking extremities in other animals, particularly
"The starfish eats with five fingers."
4
any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb) wordnet
5
Similar or similar-looking extremities in other animals; The lower, smaller segment of an arthropod claw.

Show 32 more definitions

6
the length of breadth of a finger used as a linear measure wordnet
7
Similar or similar-looking extremities in other animals; One of the supporting structures of wings in birds, bats, etc. evolved from earlier toes or fingers.
8
Similar or similar-looking extremities in other animals; One of the slender bony structures before the pectoral fins of gurnards and sea robins (Triglidae).
9
Something similar in shape to the human finger, particularly
"...spires whose ‘silent finger points to Heaven’..."
10
Something similar in shape to the human finger; Finger-shaped pieces of food.
"chocolate fingers; fish fingers; cheese fingers"
11
Something similar in shape to the human finger; A tube extending from a sealed system, or sometimes into one in the case of a cold finger.
"An oven is placed over the finger with Co catalyst (oven temperature will depend on whether a quartz or Pyrex finger is used, see Ref. 24), and a cold finger (usually a copper rod immersed in dry ice–isopropanol slurry) is placed on the other tube."
12
Something similar in shape to the human finger; Synonym of foxglove (D. purpurea). UK, obsolete, plural-normally, regional
13
Something similarly extending, (especially) from a larger body, particularly
"a finger of land; a finger of smoke"
14
Something similarly extending, (especially) from a larger body; Various protruding plant structures, as a banana from its hand.
15
Something similarly extending, (especially) from a larger body; A lobe of the liver. obsolete
16
Something similarly extending, (especially) from a larger body; The teeth parallel to the blade of a scythe, fitted to a wooden frame called a crade. historical
17
Something similarly extending, (especially) from a larger body; The projections of a reaper or mower which similarly separate the stalks for cutting.
18
Something similarly extending, (especially) from a larger body; Clipping of finger pier (“a shorter, narrower pier projecting from a larger dock”). abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
19
Something similarly extending, (especially) from a larger body; Synonym of jet bridge: the narrow elevated walkway connecting a plane to an airport.
20
Something similarly extending, (especially) from a larger body; A leaf in a finger tree data structure.
21
Something similar in function or agency to the human finger, (usually) with regard to touching, grasping, or pointing.
"The Magicians said vnto Pharaoh; This is the finger of God."
22
Something similar in function or agency to the human finger, (usually) with regard to touching, grasping, or pointing.; Synonym of hand, the part of a clock pointing to the hour, minute, or second. obsolete
23
Something similar in function or agency to the human finger, (usually) with regard to touching, grasping, or pointing.; A policeman or prison guard. US, obsolete, slang
24
Something similar in function or agency to the human finger, (usually) with regard to touching, grasping, or pointing.; An informer to the police, (especially) one who identifies a criminal during a lineup. US, rare, slang
25
Something similar in function or agency to the human finger, (usually) with regard to touching, grasping, or pointing.; A criminal who scouts for prospective victims and targets or who performs reconnaissance before a crime. US, rare, slang
26
Something similar in function or agency to the human finger, (usually) with regard to touching, grasping, or pointing.; That which points; an indicator, as of guilt, blame, or suspicion. figuratively
"The finger of suspicion pointed clearly at the hotel manager."
27
Various units of measure based or notionally based on the adult human finger, particularly; Synonym of digit: former units of measure notionally based on its width but variously standardized, (especially) the English digit of ¹⁄₁₆ foot (about 1.9 cm). historical
"a piece of steel three fingers thick"
28
Various units of measure based or notionally based on the adult human finger, particularly; A unit of length notionally based on the length of an adult human's middle finger, standardized as 4½ inches (11.43 cm). historical
29
Various units of measure based or notionally based on the adult human finger, particularly; Synonym of digit: ¹⁄₁₂ the observed diameter of the sun or moon, (especially) with regard to eclipses. historical
30
Various units of measure based or notionally based on the adult human finger, particularly; An informal measure of alcohol based on its height in a given glass compared to the width of the pourer's fingers while holding it.
"Gimme three fingers of bourbon."
31
A part of a glove intended to cover a finger.
32
Skill in the use of the fingers, as in playing upon a musical instrument. informal, obsolete
"A performer capable of doing justice to rapid or expressive passages, is said to have a good finger"
33
Someone skilled in the use of their fingers, (especially) a pickpocket. informal, rare
34
A person. UK, slang
35
An obscene or insulting gesture made by raising one's middle finger towards someone with the palm of one's hand facing inwards. especially
36
Any of the individual receivers used in a rake receiver to decode signal components.
37
An act of fingering (inserting a finger into someone's vagina or rectum for sexual pleasure). vulgar

Verb

1
To identify or point out; to blame for something. transitive
"This makes it quite difficult to finger specific gene variants, since any one variant contributes only tiny effects."
2
indicate the fingering for the playing of musical scores for keyboard instruments wordnet
3
To report to or identify for the authorities; to inform on. transitive
4
examine by touch wordnet
5
To poke, probe, feel, or fondle with a finger or fingers. transitive
"Goe, get you gone: and let the papers lye: / You would be fingring them, to anger me."

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6
feel or handle with the fingers wordnet
7
To use the fingers to penetrate or sexually stimulate one's own or another person's vulva, vagina, or anus. transitive
"She fingered him, spreading the gel and sliding the tip of her finger inside him."
8
search for on the computer wordnet
9
To use specified finger positions in producing notes on a musical instrument. transitive
10
To provide instructions in written music as to which fingers are to be used to produce particular notes or passages. transitive
11
To query (a user's status) using the Finger protocol. Internet, transitive
"There is also a hot-link to "finger" the guys at id to see what they're working on next (John Carmack, John Cash […]"
12
To steal; to purloin. obsolete
"in the dark / Grop'd I to finde out them; had my desire, / Finger'd their Packet, and in fine, withdrew / To mine owne roome againe,"
13
To execute, as any delicate work. obsolete, transitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

PIE word *pénkʷe From Middle English fynger, finger, from Old English finger (“finger”), from Proto-West Germanic *fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz (“finger”), from Proto-Indo-European *penkʷrós, from *pénkʷe (“five”). Compare West Frisian finger, Low German/German Finger, Dutch vinger, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish finger; also Old Armenian հինգեր-որդ (hinger-ord, “fifth”). More at five.

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

English, German, and Jewish surname, from the noun finger.

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