The Fascinating Story Behind the Names of Our Five Fingers

Your hands are constantly at work, handling countless tasks daily. But have you ever stopped to think about the origins of terms like thumb or pinky? Tracing the etymology of body part names can be tricky due to the natural evolution of language, but here's a breakdown of why we call them what we do.

1. The Thumb

Unlike the other four fingers, the thumb is shorter, broader, and has two phalanges instead of three. Its name derives from its distinct physical traits compared to its counterparts. Medically referred to as pollex, the term thumb dates back to before the 12th century, originating from the Proto-Indo-European word tum, meaning “to swell,” thus dubbing it “the swollen one.” While there’s ongoing debate about whether the thumb qualifies as a finger, its name remains fitting regardless of classification.

2. The Index or Pointer Finger

Following the thumb is the digitus secundus manus. The term index originates from the Latin word indicō, meaning “to point out,” which also gives rise to the name pointer. Despite being the second digit (after the thumb), it is considered the first finger, which is why it’s occasionally called the forefinger.

3. The Middle Finger

The second finger (third digit) has the most straightforward name among all. Sometimes called the long or tall finger, the digitus medius manus is positioned in the middle of the hand, flanked by the digitus secondus manus and the ring finger. The history of how the middle finger became an offensive gesture is a tale for another time.

4. The Ring Finger

Medically termed as digitus medicinalis, digitus quartus manus, or digitus annularis manus, the ring finger’s name traces its roots back to 2nd century Egypt, linked to the heart. Egyptians theorized that a vein in the fourth finger, called the lover’s vein, connected directly to the heart—a myth later adopted by the Romans. To symbolize a man’s claim on a woman’s heart, he would place a ring on this finger, a tradition immortalized by Beyoncé’s lyrics and still practiced today.

5. The Pinky Finger

The fifth and tiniest digit is known as the digitus minimus manus. As noted by World Wide Words, the term pinkie was used in Scotland to describe something small, as documented in John Jamieson’s 1808 work, An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language. Derived from the Dutch word pink, meaning “small,” Jamieson explains that “to pink” refers to “contracting the eye,” and the term pinkie describes something “small or contracted.” The Collins Dictionary traces the word pinkeye back to the Dutch pinck oogen, also found in Jamieson’s dictionary, translating to “small eyes.”