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Ten Things You Maybe Didn't Know About the Fathom

1. It's six feet long

One fathom equals exactly 6 feet (or about 1.8288 metres if you're metric-minded). Easy to remember: one tall-ish human = one fathom.

2. It's made for measuring water depth

The fathom is a sailor’s best friend. It was traditionally used to measure the depth of water, especially before sonar and fancy tech. “Sounding the depth” used to mean literally lowering a rope and seeing how many fathoms deep it went.

3. The name comes from ‘embrace’

The word fathom comes from Old English fæthm, meaning "to embrace" or "to encircle with the arms." Why? Because a fathom was originally based on the span of a person’s outstretched arms. Super literal.

4. It's still used in maritime circles

Even today, in nautical navigation and on nautical charts, depth is often marked in fathoms. It’s not just an antique — it’s alive and kickin’ on the open sea.

5. "Deep Six" comes from it

Ever heard the phrase "deep six" (as in "let's deep-six that idea")? That comes from burial at sea. Six fathoms down was considered deep enough to send something (or someone) off for good.

6. It's used in some epic literature

Shakespeare dropped it in The Tempest: "Full fathom five thy father lies..." It's poetic, dramatic, and deeply oceanic. Perfect for ghostly sea vibes.

7. It can be a verb

Yep, you can fathom something. Originally, it meant to measure depth, but now it also means to understand something deeply. As in: "I can’t fathom why anyone would go swimming in shark-infested waters."

8. It's quirky because it doesn't fit modern systems

– The fathom isn't part of the metric system or even the main imperial units most people use today. It’s kind of a specialist oddball — which makes it fun.

9. There are subdivisions

If you want to get picky, you can break down a fathom into 100 fathom inches (used historically in undersea cables), or divide it into feet and inches like anything else.

It's romantic and salty and full of character

Seriously, no one says "the ocean is 60 feet deep" if they’re trying to sound cool. They say "10 fathoms." It’s got that salty sea-dog energy you just can’t replicate with metres or feet.

The fathom is like the pirate of the measurement world — a bit old, a bit odd, but still sailing strong when the tides are right.