thimble

Definitions

1. finger
2. A pitted, now usually metal, cup-shaped cap worn on the tip of a finger, which is used in sewing to push the needle through material.
3. digit (a part of the body inclusive of fingers or toes)
4. As much as fills a thimble (sense 1); a thimbleful.
5. thimble (a small device to protect a thumb or finger during sewing)
6. An object which resembles a thimble (sense 1) in shape or size.
   also, attributive
7. A thimble or similar object used in thimblerig (“a game of skill which requires the bettor to guess under which of three thimbles or small cups a pea-sized object has been placed after the person operating the game rapidly rearranges them”).
   also, attributive
8. finger (the width of a finger as an approximate unit of length)
9. A socket in machinery shaped like a thimble.
   also, attributive
10. dedo (a traditional Spanish unit of measurement about equal to 1.75 cm)
11. A metal ring which a cable or rope intended for attaching to other things is looped around as a protection against chafing.
12. A ring- or tube-shaped component such as a ferrule.

Equivalents

Examples

“She had worn a hole through her silver thimble, and wanted Owen to repair⟳ it.”

“To relieve the stern in a measure⟳ from the great weight of the [diving-]bell, a short, strong mast was stepped in the usual place⟳, and steeving forward⟳; from its head to the head of the davit was a span, which set⟳ up with two thimbles [footnote: A sort⟳ of iron⟳ ring⟳.] and a lanyard, and the whole was supported by a strong stay⟳ from the mast-head to the stern of the boat, and two shrouds on a side, leading forward⟳.”

“The rope part is fitted with a thimble in one end⟳, which is connected to the chain by means of a shackle; the other extremity is spliced around a heart, and goes with a laniard, as in the case of bobstays. The splice of the thimble and the heart should be served.”

CEFR level