fathom [fǽðəm] (11) nC ファゾム、尋【水深を測る単位 6フィート】、vt [進行形なし、しばしば否定文](意図･理由など)を見抜く (out)
fathomless [fǽðəmləs] (27) a 測ることができない、不可解な
語源 (Merriam-Webster)
Did fathom Always Refer to a Measurement?
Fathom comes to us from Old English fæthm, meaning "outstretched arms." The noun fathom, which now commonly refers to a measure (especially of depth) of six feet, was originally used for the distance, fingertip to fingertip, created by stretching one's arms straight out from the sides of the body. In one of its earliest uses, the verb fathom meant to encircle something with the arms as if for measuring and was also a synonym for "embrace." In the 1600s, however, fathom took on the meaning of using a sounding line to measure depth. At the same time, the verb also developed senses synonymous with "probe" or "investigate," and is now frequently used to refer to the act of getting to the bottom of something (figuratively speaking).
古英語 fæthm 「広げた腕」
名詞 fathom は「6フィートの(深さの)単位」を意味するが、もともとは「腕を横に伸ばした時の左右の指先の距離」を意味した
動詞 fathom はもともと「長さを測るように何かに腕を回すこと」を意味し「抱く」の意味でも使われたが、その後17世紀に「深さを測るために測深線を使う」の意味になり同時期に「探る・捜査する」の意味も持つように
意味 (Longman)
I. fath‧om 1 /ˈfæðəm/ noun [COUNTABLE]
a unit for measuring the depth of water, equal to six feet or about 1.8 metres
「水の深さを測る単位、6フィート、約1.8m」
II. fathom 2 (also fathom out) verb [TRANSITIVE]
to understand what something means after thinking about it carefully
▪ I still can't fathom out what she meant.
fathom how/why/where etc
▪ Mark couldn't fathom why she resented him so much.
「注意深く考えて何かが意味することを理解する」
例文 (Longman)
名詞
▪ At the moment I'd guess we're in two to three hundred fathoms.
▪ From the port side depths of seven fathoms were sounded, but only twelve from the starboard side.
動詞
▪ Often it is difficult to fathom how these slings are knotted and connected.
▪ What the locals could not fathom out, however, was the reason behind Pascoe's new-found prosperity.
▪ He couldn't fathom why she'd taken such exception to Eleanor.
▪ Dalzell looked as if he were trying to fathom her character.
▪ The morning after the funeral, Jean started trying to fathom the mysteries posed by the contents of Brian's wallet.
類義語
「推測する」の類義語は次回から