What is Fathom?

Fathom is a unit of measurement that most often occurs in the context of naval depths. Like many seemingly odd units of measurement, Fathom was originally associated with measuring on the human body, in this case with the arms of an adult man. When the measurement was standardized, Fathom was maintained as a measuring unit and many sailors continued to use it to discuss the depth of water. As a result, many marine tools give depth in bags and measuring and legs. Fathom is an ancient measurement unit that dates back to at least ancient Greece. The use of the old English term faethm for "outstretched weapons" to discuss the measurement seems to be quite old, with the acceptance of "fathom" for receiving maritime sounds that occur in the 16th century. Usually, the knot on each of the rope length would be, allowing sailors to count with pathomas when they fell the rope to the bottom.

Because one can speakt o "fathoming" about something in terms of accepting sounds or measurement, this term was used in general to describe understanding or understanding something. This use of the word appeared at the beginning of the 16th century, shortly after the word began to be used in connection with the depth measurement. Something that cannot be measured or understood can be described as "without fathomless".

William Shakespeare's fans can be familiar with the phrase "Fathom Five Thy Father Lies", which appears in his game The Tempest . According to convention, the funeral at sea traditionally occurred at a depth of at least five fathoms. It has been proposed that bodies buried at this depth are less likely to float back, but probably sailors simply wanted to ensure that their Fellow was healthy immersed as a token of respect. A traditional funeral is usually done on the ground at a depth of one fathom, leading to the slang term "six feet below."

At one point, Fathom was also used to measure distances on the ground. This trend has decreased because FathoM was replaced by yards, meters, legs and other measurements that are smaller and therefore potentially more accurate. However, old maps can always indicate measuring in bags.