thimble

/ˈθɪmbəl/

/ˈθɪmbəl/

Other forms: thimbles

A thimble is a device that protects your fingertips from being pricked by a needle. It's a good idea to use a thimble when you're sewing by hand.

When you sew with a needle and thread, you can wear a thimble on whichever finger you tend to use for pushing the needle through the cloth. Most thimbles are made of metal (originally they were made from leather) and fit like a small cup over your fingertip. The word thimble shares a root with the word thumb.

Definitions of thimble

1. noun

   a small metal cap to protect the finger while sewing; can be used as a small container
   type of:

   cap

   something serving as a cover or protection

   container

   any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another)
2. noun

   as much as a thimble will hold
   synonyms: thimbleful

   type of:

   containerful

   the quantity that a container will hold