![]() This label comes from the finger’s use in pointing: the English word index is rooted in an earlier word meaning “to show.” Names that associate this finger with pointing can be found around the globe, but others come into play as well. In Greek, it is known as “what is opposite the fingers.” In several Turkic languages, it is known as the “head finger.” In some parts of the Middle East and Mediterranean, the name for the thumb stems from an unsavory function that, thankfully, it no longer has to serve (much): the lice killer. The thumb has attracted an array of other names. One study found such names in a fifth of the 123 languages surveyed. Although scarce in Europe, labels that compare fingers to humans are common worldwide. ![]() In some Native American languages, the thumb is called the “chief finger.” Elsewhere it is cast as a family member: the terms “mother,” “father,” “older brother,” or “grandfather finger” are all attested. We thus often name them after animals or after human social roles. The case of “ram finger” hints at a broader pattern: we often see our fingers as animate beings, little agents with their own personalities. The Latin term for this member- pollex, still used in medical contexts -comes from a verb meaning “to be strong.” In Kurdish, these associations of compactness and strength come together in the label “ram finger.” The modern English word, for example, comes from an older word meaning “stout” or “thick.” Other languages highlight the fact that the thumb is powerful, despite its short stature. Appearance is an especially common source of thumb names. How have people in different times and places solved this problem? How have they named the members of this confusable quintet? Answering this question offers a tour of the inventiveness of the human mind.Ĭonsider first the thumb. The problem is not just that we have five of them, but that they are so vexingly similar: they differ slightly in size and dexterity, but all have that pucker-knuckled, nail-capped look. Pentadactyly-the condition of having five fingers-is pervasive in the biological world, but we are the only species that has the capacity (or occasion) to talk about those fingers. When we want to single one out from the group-to specify which finger we slammed in the door, for instance-what do we do? We name them, naturally. Fingers are a glaring exception-we’ve got a party of five on each side. We sport two eyes, two knees, two feet, and so on. ![]() We have one nose, one tongue, and one navel. The icon indicates free access to the linked research on JSTOR.
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