HANDBREADTH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does handbreadth mean? 

• HANDBREADTH (noun)
  The noun HANDBREADTH has 1 sense:

1. any unit of length based on the breadth of the human hand

  Familiarity information: HANDBREADTH used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HANDBREADTH (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any unit of length based on the breadth of the human hand

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

handbreadth; handsbreadth

Hypernyms ("handbreadth" is a kind of...):

linear measure; linear unit (a unit of measurement of length)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "handbreadth"):

hand (a unit of length equal to 4 inches; used in measuring horses)

 Context examples 

I walked a while on the pavement; but a subtle, well-known scent—that of a cigar—stole from some window; I saw the library casement open a handbreadth; I knew I might be watched thence; so I went apart into the orchard.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)