Span (unit)


A span is the distance measured by a human hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger. In ancient times, a span was considered to be half a cubit. Sometimes the distinction is made between the great span and little span.

History

Ancient Greek texts show that the span was used as a fixed measure in ancient Greece since at least archaic period. The word spithame, "span", is attested in the work of Herodotus in the 5th century BC; however, the span was used in Greece long before that, since the word trispithamos, "three spans long", occurs as early as the 8th century BC in Hesiod.

Size of the span

English usage

See also: English unit
; 1 span := 9 inches

Arabic usage

In Arabic, the analogue of the great span is the šibr. It is used in Modern Standard Arabic and classical Arabic, as well as in modern-day dialects.

Slavic usage

In Slavic languages, the analogue of the span is various words derived from Proto-Slavic *pędь. In various Slavic languages it is the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger or index finger. For example, Slovenian velika ped = great span, mala ped = little span ; Russian piad = 4 vershoks = 17.8 cm. See Obsolete Russian weights and measures.

African usage

In Swahili, the equivalent of the great span is the shubiri or shibiri while the little span is the morita or futuri.

Hungarian usage

In Hungarian, the span, or arasz, is occasionally used as an informal measure and occurs in two varieties: measured between the tips of the extended thumb and index finger, it is kis arasz ; between the tips of the thumb and little finger, it is nagy arasz. The term "arasz," used by itself without a modifier, is usually understood as referring to the "large arasz," i.e., to the "span."

Asian usage

In Hindi-Urdu and other languages of Northern India and Pakistan, the span is commonly used as an informal measure and called bālisht.
In Marathi, it's called “Weet” /वीत“.
In Malay, it is called "jengkal".
In Nepal, where this method of measurement is still used in informal context, a span is called Bhitta.
In Tamil, it is called "saaN".
In Thai, it's called Khuep.

Mongolian usage

It's commonly used as traditional and informal measure. In Mongolia, the span is called as tuu. Depending on the use of index or middle finger and the placement of the thumb, the span is named differently as tuu and mukhar tuu etc.

Portuguese usage

The old Portuguese customary unit analogue to the span was the palmo de craveira or simply palmo.
; 1 palmo de craveira := 8 polegadas