inch1
n.
- a unit of linear measure equal to one twelfth of a foot (2.54 cm).
▸
(inches)
informal a person's height or waist measurement.
▸a very small amount or distance.
- a quantity of rainfall that would cover a horizontal surface to a depth of one inch.
-
(also inch of mercury)
a unit of atmospheric pressure able to support a column of mercury one-inch high in a barometer.
v.
move along slowly and carefully.
Phrase
- every inch
- the whole surface, distance, or area.
- entirely; very much so.
-
(to)
within an inch of one's life
almost to the point of death.
Etymology
OE ynce, from L. uncia ‘twelfth part’, from unus ‘one’ (prob. denoting a unit): cf. ounce1.
inch2
n.
chiefly Scottish (in place names) a small island or area of high land.
Etymology
ME: from Sc. Gaelic innis.