length · Ancient Egyptian · Old Kingdom onward

Egyptian digit / finger

range

Record: M151
Definition quality: Historically documented
Conversion mode: range
Calculator: Range only

Definition

1 digit = 1/4 palm = 1/28 royal cubit; with 52.5 cm cubit ≈18.75 mm

Documented range

Surviving evidence places one Egyptian digit / finger between 0.018678571 and 0.018892857 metres. It is recorded as a range because the documented values were not uniform.

History & use

Digits and palms appear independently in Egyptian sources and on calibrated measuring rods.

Modern use

Modern use is context-dependent and varies by region or measurement system.

Sources & evidence

Source tier — · confidence high

Related measurements

metre

length · International · Modern

SI base unit of length. Its definition fixes the speed of light in vacuum at exactly 299,792,458 m/s, with the second defined from the caesium-133 hyperfine frequency.