English
cubit
Cubit comes from Latin cubitum ‘elbow, cubit’, from cubō ‘lie down, recline’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱewb-root as named
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kubāō‘to lie down’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcubō‘lie down, recline’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcubitus
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcubitum‘elbow, cubit’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cubite‘a cubit’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611cubit
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱewb-root as named
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kubāō‘to lie down’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcubō‘lie down, recline’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcubitus
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcubitum‘elbow, cubit’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cubite‘a cubit’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611cubit
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Which of you by taking thought can add one…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb-
hip, cove, incumbent, succumb, hobble, shoop, concubine, 13 more
through Proto-Italic *kubāō ‘to lie down’
incubation, incubus, incubate, 16 more
through Latin cubō ‘lie down, recline’
cube, cubicle, succubus, 15 more
through Latin cubitum ‘elbow, cubit’
Today it means
noun The distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger used as an informal unit of length.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb- / cubit