Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun archery A traditional
unit ofdistance equal to thewidth of a clenchedfist with thethumb extended (approx. 6½ inches or 16½ centimetres).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun about seven inches; the breadth of a fist with the thumb stuck out (used especially in archery to give the correct distance of the string from the bow)
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
fist + mele, variant of meal ("measure"), from Old English mæl.
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Examples
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This is the ancient fistmele, an archer's measure, also used in measuring lumber.
Hunting with the Bow and Arrow Saxton Pope 1900
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