noun / verb

inch

INCH/ɪntʃ/

A length of one twelfth of a foot.

The highlighted inch spans one of the ruler's twelve equal intervals.

$A broad, clearly drawn one-foot ruler with twelve equal inch intervals and the first interval distinctly highlighted; no separate measuring block or fractional ticks.$

Etymology

inchLatina twelfth part

Latin uncia meant a twelfth part. In this length measure, the whole being divided is a foot, so the name expresses the unit’s exact proportion.

In context

Workshop Companion3:46

… an eight foot or two point five meter long board will move less than one-eighth inch …

The Way Wood Works -- What Every Woodworker Needs to Know About Wood.

More examples

Cut the ribbon into pieces six inches long.
An inch equals one twelfth of a foot.
Traffic inches forward through the construction zone.

Forms

inch · inches · inched · inching