cubit

From Middle English cubite, from Latin cubitum (“elbow, cubit”). Doublet of cubitus, covado, and codo.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkjuː.bɪt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) enPR: kyo͞o'bĭt, IPA^(key): /ˈkju.bɪt/
• Rhymes: -uːbɪt
• Homophone: qubit

cubit (plural cubits)

1. The distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger used as an informal unit of length.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 6:27:

     Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

2. (historical) Any of various units of length approximating this distance, usually around 35–60 cm.
3. (anatomy, archaic) Synonym of ulna, the bone of the human forearm.

• In English, most commonly encountered in biblical Hebrew measures based on the shorter of the two Egyptian cubits, although the term is also used broadly for other units between the length of a foot and a yard. These may be clarified with a preceding adjective: Greek cubit, Roman cubit, etc.

• (unit of length): ell (now properly a separate unit), coudee (obsolete)

• arshin, Russian cubit
• codo, Spanish cubit
• covado, Portuguese cubit
• dira (modern Middle Eastern contexts)
• royal cubit (ancient Egypt)

• cubitus
• qubit

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡subit/

cubit

1. definite dative/ablative singular of cub

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *cebit. From root *bit (“to raise up, to pinch up”).

Cognate with Sundanese ciwit.

• (schwa-variety) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃubet/ [ˈt͡ʃu.bet̪̚]
  • Rhymes: -ubet, -bet, -et

• (Baku) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃubit/ [ˈt͡ʃu.bit̪̚]
  • Rhymes: -ubit, -bit, -it
• Hyphenation: cu‧bit

cubit (Jawi spelling چوبيت)

1. to pinch (to squeeze a small amount of skin)

• → Macanese: chubí

cubit

1. alternative form of cubite