thimble
English
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thimble
- /ˈθɪmb(ə)l/ US, UK
Rhymes with -ɪmbəl
Where it comes from
The noun is derived from Middle English thymbyll, thimel (“thimble”) [and other forms], from Old English þȳmel (“thimble, thumbstall; fingerstall”), then either:
* from Old English þūma (“thumb”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”)) + -el (suffix forming agent nouns and the names of instruments); or
* from Proto-Germanic *þūmilaz (“thumb-covering, thumb-sheath”), from *þūmô (“thumb”) (ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root mentioned above) + *-ilaz (suffix forming agent nouns).
The English word is analysable as thumb + -le (suffix forming agent nouns), and is cognate with Dutch duimeling (“thumbstall”), German Däumling (“thumbstall”), German Low German Dümelke (“thumbstall”), Saterland Frisian Düümelke (“thumbstall”), Scots thummle, thumble (“thimble”).
The verb is derived from the noun.
noun thimbles
- 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. She had worn a hole through her silver thimble, and wanted Owen to repair it.
- As much as fills a thimble (sense 1); a thimbleful.
- 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”).
- A socket in machinery shaped like a thimble.
- A metal ring which a cable or rope intended for attaching to other things is looped around as a protection against chafing. 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
- A ring- or tube-shaped component such as a ferrule.
- A watch (timepiece). One of them had the address, whilst his Majesty was shaking hands with one of his 'Pall-Mall' acquaintances, to slip his hand under his upper tog [coat] and extract his thimble [watch] […]
verb thimbles · thimbling · thimbled
- To use a thimble (noun sense 1).
- To sew.
Translations
Every language
noun cup-shaped cap worn on the tip of a finger, used in sewing to push the needle through material
| Español | dedal, dedo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 골무 golmu |
| 日本語 | シンブル shinburu, 指貫, 指ぬき yubinuki |
| 中文 | 頂針 /顶针 dǐngzhēn, 針箍 /针箍 zhēngū |
| हिन्दी | अंगुश्ताना aṅguśtānā, नोक nok, टोप ṭop |
| Kiswahili | kastabini, kustabani |
| Português | dedal |
| Français | dé, dé à coudre |
| Deutsch | Fingerhut, Schneiderfingerhut, Nähring |
| Italiano | ditale |
| Ελληνικά | δαχτυλήθρα dachtylíthra, δακτυλήθρα daktylíthra |
| Română | degetar |
| Русский | напёрсток napjórstok |
| Tiếng Việt | đê |
| العربية | كُشْتُبَان kuštubān, كُسْتِبَان kustibān |
| עברית | אצבעון \ אֶצְבָּעוֹן etsbaón |
noun as much as fills a thimble — see also thimbleful
| Deutsch | ein Fingerhut voll |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | δαχτυλήθρα dachtylíthra, δακτυλήθρα daktylíthra |
| Русский | напёрсток napjórstok |
noun thimble or similar object used in thimblerig
| Русский | напёрсток napjórstok |
|---|
noun socket in machinery shaped like a thimble
| हिन्दी | शाम śām |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Aufnahmedose, Becher, Buchse, Dose, Drehgriff, Hülse |
| Русский | му́фта múfta, вту́лка vtúlka |
noun metal ring which a cable or rope intended for attaching to other things is looped around as a protection against chafing
| Español | guardacabo |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Kausch, Kausche, Seilkausche |
| Italiano | redancia |
| Ελληνικά | ροδάντζα rodántza |
| Русский | ко́уш kóuš |
| עברית | עיזקה \ עִזְקָה izká |
Talk about this word "thimble." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/thimble. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. thimble. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/thimble "thimble." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/thimble.Cite this
@misc{thimble_2026,
title = {thimble},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/thimble},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
