Measure | Explanation | my personal calibration Your's will differ. |
finger | finger width (digitus) | 2 cm, 3/4 in |
'nail' | width of thumb's nail. (It's about finger width.) ('nail' historically also names some longer units.) | 1.5 cm, 5/8 in |
inch | thumb width, 'mesouret at the rut of the nayll' | 2.5 cm, 1 in |
half finger | fingertip to (middle of) second joint (choose a finger (historically, it was middle)) | 5.5 cm, 2 1/8 in |
finger length | fingertip to knuckle | 11 cm, 4 1/4 in |
palm | width of 4 extended fingers (palmus) ('palm' is also know as 'hand'.) | 7 cm, 2 3/4 in (at middle joint) 8 cm, 3 in (at knuckles) |
hand length | hand length, heel to fingertip | 19 cm, 7.5 in |
hand span | hand width, from outspread thumb to little-finger (Convenient, but because stretch varies, a bit less consistent than these others.) | 22 cm, 8.5 in |
foot | foot length, heel to toe (pes) Good for walking short distances. | 27 cm, 10.5 in (bare) 30 cm, 12 in (sneakers) |
cubit | elbow to fingertip (cubitus) | 47 cm, 18.5 in (~0.5 meter) |
yard | nose to fingertip, with arm straight out to side, head facing front Good for measuring rope and fabric. | 92 cm, 36 in (3 ft) (1 meter if I turn my head) |
fathom | fingertip to fingertip, arms out stretched | 178 cm, 68 in |
height | the usual | 182 cm, 72 in |
step | one step | ~80 cm, ~30 in (~3 ft) |
pace | two steps (passus) Good for walking long distances. | ~150 cm, ~60 in (~1.5 meter) |