A Cubit

1. (historical units of measure) Various former units of length notionally based on the distance from a grown man's elbow to his fingertips, standardized in different places and times at values between 35 and 60 cm.
2. (anatomy) The ulna.

Usage notes

In English, most commonly encountered in biblical Hebrew measures based on the shorter of the two Egyptian cubits, although the term is also used broadly for other units between the length of a foot and a yard. These may be clarified with a preceding adjective: Greek cubit, Roman cubit, etc.

Synonyms

• (unit of length): ell (now properly a separate English unit); arshin, Russian cubit (Russian contexts); dira (modern Middle Eastern contexts)
• (bone): See ulna