Definition:Inch/Linguistic Note
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Linguistic Note on Inch
The word inch derives ultimately from the same root as ounce, that is, from the Latin word uncia, meaning $\dfrac 1 {12}$ part.
In this context, the inch is of course the $\dfrac 1 {12}$ part of a foot.
From the same root, the uncial letters of a mediaeval manuscript are letters which are an inch high.
Despite the gradual migration to the metric system, the word inch still lives on as a rhetorical flourish for a small distance, for example:
- Slowly and steadily they inched forward ...
Sources
- 1996: John H. Conway and Richard K. Guy: The Book of Numbers ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $1$: The Romance of Numbers: $1$