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The distance from the elbow to the finger tip.
► Brianna Monroe - Hollywood, CA

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A cubit is the first recorded unit of length and was one of many different standards of measurement used through history.

It was originally based on measuring by comparing to one's forearm length. The Egyptian hieroglyph for the unit shows this symbol. It was employed through Antiquity, the Middle-Ages up to the Early Modern Times, especially for measuring cords and textiles, but also for timbers, stone and volumes of grain.

The Egyptian cubit was not subdivided into centimeters or inches, but into palms and digits. The cubit was subdivided into 7 'palms' of 4 'digits', making 28 parts in all. The distance between thumb and another finger to the elbow on an average person measures about 24 digits or 6 palms or 1½ feet. This is about 45 cm or 18 inches. This is sometimes referred to as a "natural cubit" of 1½ feet and was used in the Roman system of measures and in different Greek systems.

Over time, various cubits and variations on the cubit have measured:

* 6 palms = 24 digits, i.e. ~45.0 cm or 18 inches (1.50 ft)
* 7 palms = 28 digits, i.e. ~52.5 cm or 21 inches (1.75 ft)[1]
* 8 palms = 32 digits, i.e. ~60.0 cm or 24 inches (2.00 ft)
* 9 palms = 36 digits, i.e. ~67.5 cm or 27 inches (2.25 ft)

From late Antiquity, the Roman ulna, a four-foot cubit (about 120 cm) is also attested. This length is the measure from a man's hip to the fingers of the outstretched opposite arm.

The English yard could be considered to be a type of cubit, measuring 12 palms, ~90 cm, or 36 inches (3.00 ft). This is the measure from the middle of a man's body to his fingers, always with outstretched arm. The English ell is essentially a kind of great cubit of 15 palms, 114 cm, or 45 inches (3.75 ft).