inch
An English unit of length equal to 1/12 of a foot or 2.54 cm.
Noun 4 meanings
An English unit of length equal to 1/12 of a foot or 2.54 cm.
“One rule of thumb is that the width of an adult thumb can approximate a length of one inch.”
Any very short distance.
“Don't move an inch!”
Any of various similar units of length in other traditional systems of measurement.
“At the time of Augustus, the Roman inch was standardized at a length about 3% shorter than the modern English one.”
A depth of one inch on the ground, used as a measurement of rainfall.
“Expect around 2 inches of rain on Saturday afternoon.”
Verb 4 meanings
To advance very slowly, or by a small amount (in a particular direction).
“Fearful of falling, he inched along the window ledge.”
To drive by inches, or small degrees.
To deal out by inches; to give sparingly.
to burn (to insult); to speak in a cocky and cheeky manner
Adjective 1 meaning
cocky and cheeky
Etymology
From Middle English ynche, enche, from Old English ynċe, borrowed from Latin ū̆ncia (“Roman inch, various similar units”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Doublet of ounce, uncia, onça, onza, oka, ouguiya, and awqiyyah.
Similar and opposite words
INCH at a glance
INCH has 4 letters and scores 9 points in Scrabble (I 1 + N 1 + C 3 + H 4) and 10 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #3,004 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with inch
All rhymesOne letter away
- ITCH9
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