# thumb

Pronunciation: say "THUM" /θʌm/

## Noun

1. The short, thick digit of the hand that has the most mobility and can move to touch each of the other fingers.
   - Simple: The short, thick finger on your hand that can move to touch each of the other fingers.
   - _A blister formed on her thumb after hours of gardening._
   - _Most primates have a thumb that can grip branches firmly._
5. A small preview image, a thumbnail, that stands in for a larger picture or file. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A small version of a picture, shown so you can see many at once.
   - _She scrolled through a wall of thumbs looking for the right shot._
   - _Hover over the thumb to see the image at full size._
8. The part of a slider control that the user drags linearly along its track to set a value.
   - Simple: The small part of a slider control that you drag to change a value.
   - _She dragged the thumb to the far end of the brightness slider._
   - _On a scrollbar, the thumb's size often reflects how much content is visible._
10. A top hatch plate that covers an excavator bucket, holding scooped material inside so it does not spill out.
   - Simple: A cover on top of a digger's bucket that keeps the dug material from spilling out.
   - _The mechanic replaced the worn thumb on the excavator's bucket._
   - _Closing the thumb let the crew lift loose gravel without losing any over the side._

## Verb

2. To turn the pages of a book, flipping through them in order to read it quickly and casually.
   - Simple: To quickly turn the pages of a book to look through it.
   - _She thumbed the dictionary, searching for an unfamiliar word._
   - _Travelers often thumb a guidebook before deciding where to eat._
3. To hitchhike: to travel by soliciting free rides from passing drivers, typically by signaling with an extended thumb.
   - Simple: To get rides from passing drivers by holding out your thumb at the roadside.
   - _She thumbed her way from Denver to Seattle over two weeks._
   - _Broke and far from home, the students decided to thumb back to campus._
4. To touch or cover something with the thumb.
   - Simple: To touch or press something using your thumb.
   - _The sculptor thumbed the clay, smoothing its surface._
   - _Pilgrims thumb the worn stone of the statue for luck._
6. To handle or operate something with one's thumb, in particular to cock a revolver's hammer or swing open its cylinder.
   - Simple: To move or work something using your thumb, such as pulling back the hammer of a gun.
   - _He thumbed the hammer and the revolver clicked into place._
   - _Experienced shooters thumb the cylinder open to eject spent casings._
7. To soil or wear something out through frequent handling with the thumb or fingers.
   - Simple: To make something dirty or worn out by handling it again and again.
   - _Decades of browsing had thumbed the encyclopedia's pages soft._
   - _Devout readers thumb their prayer books until the gilt edges fade._
9. To fire a single-action revolver rapidly by repeatedly drawing back the hammer with the thumb while holding the trigger down.
   - Simple: To fire a revolver fast by pulling its hammer with the thumb while holding the trigger down.
   - _The outlaw thumbed his revolver, emptying all six chambers in seconds._
   - _Some shooters thumb a single-action revolver to fire faster than the trigger alone permits._

## Origin

From Middle English thombe, from Old English þūma, from Proto-Germanic *þūmô, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root *tūm- meaning "to grow." It is related to Dutch duim and German Daumen, and the parasitic 'b' has been present since the late 13th century.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/thumb (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).