inch

• IPA^(key): /ɪntʃ/

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• Rhymes: -ɪntʃ

From Middle English ynche, enche, from Old English ynce, borrowed from Latin uncia (“twelfth part”). Doublet of ounce.

inch (plural inches)

1. A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
2. (meteorology) The amount of water which would cover a surface to the depth of an inch, used as a measurement of rainfall.
3. The amount of an alcoholic beverage which would fill a glass or bottle to the depth of an inch.
4. (figuratively) A very short distance.

   "Don't move an inch!"

   • Shakespeare

     Beldame, I think we watched you at an inch.

inch (third-person singular simple present inches, present participle inching, simple past and past participle inched)

1. (intransitive, followed by a preposition) To advance very slowly, or by a small amount (in a particular direction).

   Fearful of falling, he inched along the window ledge.

   • 1957, J. D. Salinger, "Zooey", in, 1961, Franny and Zooey:

     The window blind had been lowered — Zooey had done all his bathtub reading by the light from the three-bulb overhead fixture—but a fraction of morning light inched under the blind and onto the title page of the manuscript.

   • 2012 May 9, John Percy, “Birmingham City 2 Blackpool 2 (2-3 on agg): match report”, in the Telegraph‎:

     Already guarding a 1-0 lead from the first leg, Blackpool inched further ahead when Stephen Dobbie scored from an acute angle on the stroke of half-time. The game appeared to be completely beyond Birmingham’s reach three minutes into the second period when Matt Phillips reacted quickly to bundle the ball past Colin Doyle and off a post.

2. To drive by inches, or small degrees.
   • Dryden

     He gets too far into the soldier's grace / And inches out my master.

3. To deal out by inches; to give sparingly.

• thou
• mil

From Scottish Gaelic innis

inch (plural inches)

1. (Scotland) A small island
   • Sir Walter Scott, Rosabelle

     The blackening wave is edged with white; / To inch and rock the sea-mews fly.

• Found especially in the names of small Scottish islands, e.g. Inchcolm, Inchkeith.

• Chin, chin, ichn-

inch

1. Alternative form of ynche