Etymograph

English

finger drill

From finger + drill (“an activity done as an exercise or practice”).

A compound of finger + drill ‘an activity done as an exercise or practice’

Proto-Germanic *fingraz ‘finger’

Proto-West Germanic *fingr

Old English finger

Middle English fynger ‘a finger’

English finger

Middle Dutch drillen ‘bore, move in a circle’

English drill

Today it means

noun A simplified form of preparation for a task, in which a team verbally describes each portion of the task, counted sequentially (thus evoking a sense of "fingers"), rather than engaging in practice exercises or training.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / finger drill