finger

English Online Dictionary. What means finger‎? What does finger mean?

English

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɪŋɡə/
• (General American) enPR: fĭngʹ-gər, IPA^(key): /ˈfɪŋɡəɹ/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈfɪŋəɹ/
• Rhymes: -ɪŋɡə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: fin‧ger

Noun

finger (plural fingers)

2. (anatomy) A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb.
3. (zoology) Similar or similar-looking extremities in other animals, particularly:
   1. The lower, smaller segment of an arthropod claw.
   2. One of the supporting structures of wings in birds, bats, etc. evolved from earlier toes or fingers.
   3. One of the slender bony structures before the pectoral fins of gurnards and sea robins (Triglidae).
4. Something similar in shape to the human finger, particularly:
   1. (cooking) Finger-shaped pieces of food.
   2. (chemistry) A tube extending from a sealed system, or sometimes into one in the case of a cold finger.
   3. (UK regional, botany, usually in the plural, obsolete) Synonym of foxglove (D. purpurea).
5. Something similarly extending, (especially) from a larger body, particularly:

   a finger of land; a finger of smoke

   1. (botany) Various protruding plant structures, as a banana from its hand.
   2. (anatomy, obsolete) A lobe of the liver.
   3. (historical) The teeth parallel to the blade of a scythe, fitted to a wooden frame called a crade.
   4. The projections of a reaper or mower which similarly separate the stalks for cutting.
   5. (nautical) Clipping of finger pier: a shorter, narrower pier projecting from a larger dock.
   6. (aviation) Synonym of jet bridge: the narrow elevated walkway connecting a plane to an airport.
   7. (computing theory) A leaf in a finger tree data structure.
6. Something similar in function or agency to the human finger, (usually) with regard to touching, grasping, or pointing.
   1. (obsolete) Synonym of hand, the part of a clock pointing to the hour, minute, or second.
   2. (US, obsolete slang) A policeman or prison guard.
   3. (US, rare slang) An informer to the police, (especially) one who identifies a criminal during a lineup.
   4. (US, rare slang) A criminal who scouts for prospective victims and targets or who performs reconnaissance before a crime.
   5. (figurative) That which points; an indicator, as of guilt, blame, or suspicion.

7. (units of measure) Various units of measure based or notionally based on the adult human finger, particularly
   1. (historical) 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).
   2. (historical) A unit of length notionally based on the length of an adult human's middle finger, standardized as 4½ inches (11.43 cm).
   3. (historical) Synonym of digit: ¹⁄₁₂ the observed diameter of the sun or moon, (especially) with regard to eclipses.
   4. (originally US) 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.

8. (fashion) A part of a glove intended to cover a finger.
9. (informal, obsolete) Skill in the use of the fingers, as in playing upon a musical instrument.
10. (informal, rare) Someone skilled in the use of their fingers, (especially) a pickpocket.
11. (UK slang) A person.
12. (especially in the phrase 'give someone the finger') An obscene or insulting gesture made by raising one's middle finger towards someone with the palm of one's hand facing inwards.
13. (radio) Any of the individual receivers used in a rake receiver to decode signal components.
14. (vulgar) An act of fingering (inserting a finger into someone's vagina or rectum for sexual pleasure).

Synonyms

• (anatomy): See Thesaurus:finger
• (zoology): toe (when on four legs); claw, talon (usually sharp)
• (finger-shaped objects): tendril (in plants)
• (airport walkway): See jet bridge
• (finger width): See digit
• (slang for police informer): See Thesaurus:informant
• (skill with the fingers): fingering technique; touch
• (British slang for person): bloke, lad, boy, guv

Hyponyms

• (anatomy): index finger, forefinger; middle finger; ring finger; little finger, pinkie; thumb, hallux

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: finga

Translations

Verb

finger (third-person singular simple present fingers, present participle fingering, simple past and past participle fingered)

1. (transitive) To identify or point out; to blame for something.
2. (transitive) To report to or identify for the authorities; to inform on.

   Synonyms: put the finger on, rat on, rat out, squeal on, tattle on, turn in; see also Thesaurus:rat out

4. (transitive) To poke, probe, feel, or fondle with a finger or fingers.

   Hypernym: handle

   Hyponym: lay a finger on (hyponymous in its literal sense)
5. (transitive, sex) To use the fingers to penetrate or sexually stimulate one's own or another person's vulva, vagina, or anus.

   Synonyms: fingerbang, fingerfuck
6. (transitive, music) To use specified finger positions in producing notes on a musical instrument.
7. (transitive, music) To provide instructions in written music as to which fingers are to be used to produce particular notes or passages.
8. (transitive, Internet) To query (a user's status) using the Finger protocol.
9. (obsolete) To steal; to purloin.
10. (transitive, obsolete) To execute, as any delicate work.

Translations

See also

• artiodactyl
• dactyl
• dactylography
• dactylology
• fist
• macrodactyly
• perissodactyl
• prestidigitation
• pterodactyl

References

• "finger, n., in the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Anagrams

• fringe

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *penkʷrós.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fenɡər/, [ˈfeŋˀɐ]

Noun

finger c (singular definite fingeren, plural indefinite fingre)

1. finger

Inflection

Further reading

• finger on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^da

Etymology 2

See fingere (“to simulate”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fenɡɡeːr/, [ˈfeŋɡ̊eːˀɐ̯], [ˈfeŋɡ̊eɐ̯ˀ]

Verb

finger or fingér

1. imperative of fingere

Middle English

Noun

finger

1. Alternative form of fynger

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *penkʷrós.

Noun

finger m (definite singular fingeren, indefinite plural fingre or fingrer, definite plural fingrene)

1. (anatomy) a finger

Derived terms

Related terms

• tommel

References

• “finger” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *penkʷrós.

Noun

finger m (definite singular fingeren, indefinite plural fingrar, definite plural fingrane)

1. (anatomy) a finger

Derived terms

Related terms

• tommel

References

• “finger” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *fingr. Compare Old Frisian finger, Old Saxon fingar, Old High German fingar, Old Norse fingr, Gothic 𐍆𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍂𐍃 (figgrs).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfin.ɡer/, [ˈfiŋ.ɡer]

Noun

finger m

1. finger

Declension

Strong a-stem:

Derived terms

Descendants

• Middle English: fynger, finger, vinger, fyngir, fyngur, fyngyr, fiyngir, ffynger
  • English: finger
    • Sranan Tongo: finga
  • Scots: finger
  • Yola: vinger

Old Frisian

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *fingr.

Noun

finger m

1. finger

Inflection

Descendants

• North Frisian:

  Föhr-Amrum: fanger

  Sylt: Finger

• West Frisian: finger

Old Swedish

Alternative forms

• ᚠᛁᚿᚵᚽᚱ

Etymology

From Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfiŋɡɛr/

Noun

finger m

1. finger

Declension

or (with neuter gender)

Descendants

• Swedish: finger

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English finger.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /finɡer/

• Hyphenation: fin‧ger

Noun

finger m (Cyrillic spelling фингер)

1. (aviation, travel) jet bridge

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English finger.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfinɡeɾ/ [ˈfĩŋ.ɡeɾ]
• Rhymes: -inɡeɾ
• Syllabification: fin‧ger

Noun

finger m (plural fingeres)

1. (food) finger
2. (aviation, travel) jet bridge

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

• “finger”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish finger, from Old Norse fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European *penkʷrós.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɪŋːɛr/

Noun

finger n or c

1. (anatomy) finger

Usage notes

The neuter declension is much more common than the common declension.

Declension

Derived terms

See also

• hand
• knoge
• nagel
• tumme

References

• finger in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• finger in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• Svensk MeSH

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian finger, from Proto-West Germanic *fingr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɪŋər/

Noun

finger c (plural fingers, diminutive fingerke)

1. finger

Further reading

• “finger”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011