A Span Was the Width of a Spread Hand
A span is a distance between two points. It began as a measurement taken from the hand.
A span is the distance between two points, and *to span* is to extend across something. The original span was a body measurement: the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger with the hand spread, about nine inches, which made two spans a cubit. It is one of the oldest units in the world and appears in the Bible as the height of Goliath's armour. The same root gives *spin* and *spanner*, and *wingspan* and *attention span* both borrow the idea of extent.
- A distance. *The span of the bridge.*
- A hand's width. *A span of nine inches.*
- A period. *A span of years.*
- To extend across. *Spanning the river.*
- Old English — *spann*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | span | A span. |
| Verb | span | Spanning. |
| Compound | wingspan | A wingspan. |
| Compound | lifespan | A lifespan. |
| German | Spanne | A span. |
- The bridge spans the gorge.Structure.
- A span was nine inches.Measure.
- Over a span of years.Time.
Hand-based measurements
- Digit — the width of a finger
- Palm — the width of four fingers
- Hand — four inches, still used for horses
- Span — thumb tip to little finger tip, about nine inches
- Cubit — elbow to fingertip, about two spans
Old English *spann*, of Germanic origin, related to German *Spanne*.
How long was a span?
About nine inches, the distance from thumb tip to little finger tip with the hand spread. Two spans made a cubit.
Is spanner related?
Yes, through the sense of stretching or tensioning, from the same Germanic root.