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Length/Distance | Convert from mark twain to fathom [ancient] |
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Common Length Conversions Metric Length Conversions Unit Definition (mark twain) The mark twain or twain is an old word for the number two, derived from the Anglo-Saxon twegen. The American author Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), who had been a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi in his youth, took his literary name from a traditional riverboat phrase "mark twain", meaning "exactly two" fathoms of water. This was the minimum depth needed for the boats to operate safely without running aground. Unit Definition (fathom [ancient]) A fathom is a unit of measure equal to 2 yards or 6 feet, or 1.8288 metres. The name of the unit derives from the Old English word fæthm meaning 'outstretched arms' which was the original definition of the unit's measure.
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