Editing Cubit (section)

{{Short description|Ancient unit of length}}
{{other uses}}
{{Distinguish|Qubit|text=the basic unit of quantum computing, the [[Qubit]]}}
{{use list-defined references|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2013}}

[[File:Cubit rule Egyptian NK from Liverpool museum.jpg|thumb|Egyptian cubit rod in the [[Liverpool World Museum]]]]
[[File:Measuring ruler-N 1538-IMG 4492-gradient.jpg|thumb|Cubit rod of [[Maya (Egyptian)|Maya]], 52.3&nbsp;cm long, 1336–1327&nbsp;BC ([[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|Eighteenth Dynasty]])]]

The '''cubit''' is an ancient [[unit of length]] based on the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cubit | title=Definition of CUBIT | date=2 February 2024 }}</ref> It was primarily associated with the [[Sumerians]], [[Egyptians]], and [[Israelites]]. The term ''cubit'' is found in the [[Bible]] regarding [[Noah's Ark]], the [[Ark of the Covenant]], the [[Tabernacle]], and [[Solomon's Temple]]. The ''common cubit'' was divided into 6 [[palm (unit)|palms]] × 4 [[Finger (unit)|fingers]] = 24 [[digit (unit)|digits]].<ref>[[Vitruvian Man]].</ref> ''Royal cubits'' added a palm for 7 palms × 4 fingers = 28 digits.<ref>Stephen Skinner, ''Sacred Geometry – Deciphering The Code'' (Sterling, 2009) & many other sources.</ref> These lengths typically ranged from {{convert|44.4|to|52.92|cm|ftin|frac=16|abbr=on}}, with an ancient Roman cubit being as long as {{convert|120|cm|ftin|0|abbr=on}}.

Cubits of various lengths were employed in many parts of the world in [[ancient history|antiquity]], during the [[Middle Ages]] and as recently as [[Early modern Europe|early modern times]]. The term is still used in [[hedgelaying]], the length of the forearm being frequently used to determine the interval between stakes placed within the hedge.<ref name="green man">{{cite web |last1=Hart |first1=Sarah |title=The Green Man |url=http://www.shropshirehedgelaying.co.uk/hedgelaying_article_3.php |website=Shropshire Hedgelaying |publisher=Oliver Liebscher <!-- pages' HTML includes: meta name="author" content="Oliver Liebscher" --> |access-date=18 May 2017 |quote=On the roadside the finish is clean and neat, a living fence of intertwined branches between stakes placed an old cubit (the length of a man's forearm or approximately 18 inches) apart. |archive-date=17 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117055558/http://shropshirehedgelaying.co.uk/hedgelaying_article_3.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>