A polegada is equal to 1/12 pé, 2.777 centimeters, or 1.093 inches. Thus the
polegada is larger than an inch.
A pulgada is equal to 1/12 pie (see above). The pulgada varies from about 23.2
to 24.1 millimeters (0.913 to 0.949 inch). Thus the pulgada is shorter than
the inch and a polegada.
As for duim, not one of the towns it was used in before being made illegal in
1870 was equal to the English inch. It also seems that in 1820 the duim was
set equal to the centimeter, so in essence it was a metric unit for 50 years.
So Hans' duimstok is really a zentimeterstok.
Note also that in Amsterdam that it took 11 duims to equal 1 voet, and not 12.
Duim (lengtemaat)
Duim, oude Nederlandse lengtemaat die ongeveer gelijk is aan de breedte van het
bovenste kootje van de duim van een volwassen man. Een duim heeft afhankelijk
van de streek een andere lengte.
* Amsterdamse duim is 2,57393636 cm (11 Amsterdamse duim is 1
Amsterdamse voet)
* Franse duim is 2,7 cm
* Gelderse of Nijmeegse duim is 2,7 cm
* Hondsbosse en Rijpse duim is 2,4 cm
* Rijnlandse duim is 2,61 cm
Bij de invoering van het Nederlands metriek stelsel in 1820 werd de duim gelijk
gesteld aan een centimeter, echter in 1870 werd de duim afgeschaft.
Een duim komt tegenwoordig overeen met een Engelse inch (2,54 cm). In de
techniek wordt de duim nog wel eens informeel gebruikt, men spreekt dan
bijvoorbeeld van een drieduims pijp.
Een ander overblijfsel is het woord duimstok.
Jerry
________________________________
From: John M. Steele <[email protected]>
To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 6, 2009 4:33:54 PM
Subject: [USMA:44455] RE: Reasoable Language (was Metrication US)
Portuguese is very similar, as might be expected from Portugal being right next
door to Spain
Polegar is thumb, polegada is inch. Pé is foot, both anatomical and
measurement-related.
--- On Mon, 4/6/09, Stephen Mangum <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Stephen Mangum <[email protected]>
Subject: [USMA:44449] RE: Reasoable Language (was Metrication US)
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
Cc: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
Date: Monday, April 6, 2009, 3:28 PM
The Spanish word for inch is "pulgada." Like most words for inch, it is similar
to word for "thumb," which in this case is "pulgar." Of course no
Spanish-speaking country uses inches or feet. Naturally the original pulgada,
pre-metrication, was not equal to 25.4 mm or the barley-based system you
mention. But the word "pulgada" now refers to the 25.4 mm international inch.
Similarly the word "pie" means "foot," in both the measurement and anatomy.
Stephen Mangum
On Sun, Apr 5, 2009 at 7:26 PM, Jeremiah MacGregor
<[email protected]> wrote:
Martin,
I agree that the duim is a body part that some people used it to measure things
with in the past like the foot. I don't agree that it is the same as the
inch. The inch was defined as three barley corns round and dry. Can you tell
me the original official definition of the duim? I would suspect that it was
not related to barley corns. Thus my point is, the two are not the same. No
disrespect was intended.
I'm sure we can find a list of units that were used in various countries that
have no equivalent to English units.
Jerry
________________________________
From: Martin Vlietstra <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]; U.S. Metric Association
<[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, April 5, 2009 3:53:03 PM
Subject: RE: [USMA:44374] RE: Reasoable Language (was Metrication US)
Jerry,
Two things:
1) Please do Han the courtesy of assuming that is command of Dutch is better
than yours – the “.nl” at the end of his e-mail address suggests to me that
Dutch is probably his mother tongue..
2) I can vouch for the fact that the word “duim” means both “thumb” and “inch”
in both Dutch and Afrikaans (I speak both languages). In English, the word
“foot” can either be part of the human anatomy or it can be a unit of measure.
In Dutch and in Afrikaans, both the words “voet” and “duim” are units of
measure and are also parts of the human anatomy.
________________________________
From:[email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
Jeremiah MacGregor
Sent: 05 April 2009 14:28
To: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:44374] RE: Reasoable Language (was Metrication US )
… snip
Doesn't the word "Duimstok" literally mean "thumb stick"? A thumb and an inch
are not really they same thing, even if they are close.
… snip
Jerry
________________________________
From:Han Maenen < [email protected] >
To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, April 5, 2009 5:54:11 AM
Subject: [USMA:44369] RE: Reasoable Language (was Metrication US )
I agree with Bll Potts. Leave expressions like 'inch by inch' or 'not an inch'
alone. Those opposed to metric would love it if we wanted to change such things.
In the Netherlands a folding measuring stick is called a 'duimstok', which is
'inch stick' in English. I have a wooden duimstok or inch stick with
centimetres only on it. I just avoid measuring instruments with dual units like
the plague.
Just west of of Dublin is the suburb Inchicore, how lunatic it would be to
change that to 2.54cmcore, or Sixmilebridge near Limerick to '9.6
km-Bridge'. Of course, the distance to Sixmilebridge is always given in km on
road signs: 'Sixmilebridge 10 km'. There is a small place in Ireland called
Inch.
And people in metric countries should never give an inch to Imperial and/or
U.S. Customary in their own environment. That would be very beneficial to
metrication.
Han
----- Original Message -----
From:Bill Potts
To:U.S. Metric Association
Sent:Monday, 2009, March 30 22:30
Subject:[USMA:44234] RE: Reasonable Language (was Metrication US )
Pat and John:
For years, some of us on this list have tried to be reassuring to the
metrication-averse and to also counter some of the stranger statements made by
the more virulent opponents of metrication.
<snip>
--
Stephen
