fathom
Other forms: fathoms; fathomed; fathoming
To fathom something is to understand it thoroughly. It's usually used in the negative, as in "I can't fathom why he doesn't want to go along with us."
Fathom is from Middle English fadme, from Old English fæthm, "outstretched arms." The Old English and modern English noun also refers to a unit of length used to measure the depth of water. The sense of intellectual depth comes from that meaning — to understand or fathom something thoroughly is "to get to the bottom of it."
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a linear unit of measurement (equal to 6 feet) for water depthsynonyms: fthm
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(mining) a unit of volume (equal to 6 cubic feet) used in measuring bodies of oresynonyms: fthmtype of:capacity measure, capacity unit, cubage unit, cubature unit, cubic content unit, cubic measure, displacement unit, volume unita unit of measurement of volume or capacity
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measure the depth of (a body of water) with a sounding line
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come to understandtype of:understandknow and comprehend the nature or meaning of
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Vocabulary lists containing fathom
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Santiago is a luckless Cuban fisherman who struggles to land a giant marlin. In spare, searing prose, Hemingway transforms the story of one man's battle with nature into a heroic ordeal. Scribner 2003 edition.