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cubit
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English Dictionary: cubit by the DICT Development Group
3 results for cubit
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
cubit
n
  1. an ancient unit of length based on the length of the forearm
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
   Cubit \Cu"bit\ (k[umac]"b[icr]t), n. [L. cubitum, cubitus;
      elbow, ell, cubit, fr. (because the elbow serves for leaning
      upon) cubare to lie down, recline; cf. Gr. ky`biton elbow,
      ky`ptein to bend, stoop, kyfo`s bent, stooping, humpbacked.
      Cf. {Incumbent}, {Covey}.]
      1. (Anat.) The forearm; the ulna, a bone of the arm extending
            from elbow to wrist. [Obs.]
  
      2. A measure of length, being the distance from the elbow to
            the extremity of the middle finger.
  
      Note: The cubit varies in length in different countries, the
               Roman cubit being 17,47 inches, the Greek 18,20, the
               Hebrew somewhat longer, and the English 18 inches.

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
   Cubit
      Heb. 'ammah; i.e., "mother of the arm," the fore-arm, is a word
      derived from the Latin cubitus, the lower arm. It is difficult
      to determine the exact length of this measure, from the
      uncertainty whether it included the entire length from the elbow
      to the tip of the longest finger, or only from the elbow to the
      root of the hand at the wrist. The probability is that the
      longer was the original cubit. The common computation as to the
      length of the cubit makes it 20.24 inches for the ordinary
      cubit, and 21.888 inches for the sacred one. This is the same as
      the Egyptian measurements.
     
         A rod or staff the measure of a cubit is called in Judg. 3:16
      _gomed_, which literally means a "cut," something "cut off." The
      LXX. and Vulgate render it "span."
     
No guarantee of accuracy or completeness!
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