All 4 Uses of
fathom
in
The Two Towers
- There was some link between Isengard and Mordor, which I have not yet fathomed.†
Chpt 3.11 *fathomed = came to understand
- As they drew nearer they became aware that these were of vast size, very ancient it seemed, and still towering high, though their tops were gaunt and broken, as if tempest and lightning-blast had swept across them, but had failed to kill them or to shake their fathomless roots.†
Chpt 4.7fathomless = impossible to understandstandard suffix: The suffix "-less" in fathomless means without and reverses the meaning of fathom. This is the same pattern you see in words like harmless, fearless, and powerless.
- His face was long, with a high forehead, he had deep darkling eyes, hard to fathom, though the look that they now bore was grave and benevolent, and a little weary.†
Chpt 3.10
- Thirty ells, or say, about eighteen fathom: that's no more than your guess at the height of the cliff.'†
Chpt 4.1
Definitions:
-
(1)
(fathom as in: can't fathom) understand something -- especially when it’s difficult or complex
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Fathom can also refer to a unit of measure for water depth (6 feet), or to the act of measuring the depth of water.