A unit of measurement which is essentially the distance between the fingers of outstretched arms. (background) Originally “faedm” an Anglo Saxon word meaning hug or embrace, faedms were marked on a rope by a knot; when thrown overboard attached to an anchor a sailor would count off the knots or fathoms to the bottom. (Source: “Salty Talk”, Naval History, U. S. Naval Institute, October 2002)