Little finger - wikipedia Little finger For the A Song of Ice and Fire character nicknamed `` Littlefinger '', see Petyr Baelish. Little / pinky finger Pinky Details Artery Proper palmar digital arteries, dorsal digital arteries Vein Palmar digital veins, dorsal digital veins Nerve Dorsal digital nerves of ulnar nerve Lymph supratrochlear Identifiers Latin digitus minimus manus, digitus quintus manus, digitus V manus TA A01. 1.00. 057 FMA 24949 Anatomical terminology ( edit on Wikidata ) The little finger or pinky finger, also known as the fifth digit or just pinky, is the most ulnar and usually smallest finger of the human hand, opposite the thumb, and next to the ring finger. Contents 1 Etymology 2 Muscles 3 Cultural significance 3.1 Gestures 3.2 Rings 4 References 5 See also Etymology The word `` pinky '' is derived from the Dutch word pink, meaning `` little finger ''. In some places `` pinky '' is also a traditional name for the smallest ( youngest ) child in a family ( especially, when father and mother have 3 children ). Muscles There are nine muscles that control the fifth digit : Three in the hypothenar eminence, two extrinsic flexors, two extrinsic extensors, and two more intrinsic muscles : Hypothenar eminence : Opponens digiti minimi muscle Abductor minimi digiti muscle ( adduction from third palmar interossei ) Flexor digiti minimi brevis ( the `` longus '' is absent in most humans ) Two extrinsic flexors : Flexor digitorum superficialis Flexor digitorum profundus Two extrinsic extensors : Extensor digiti minimi muscle Extensor digitorum Two intrinsic hand muscles : Fourth lumbrical muscle Third Palmar interosseous muscle Note : the dorsal interossei of the hand muscles do not have an attachment to the fifth digit Cultural significance Gestures A pinky swear Among American children, a `` pinky swear '' or `` pinky promise '' is made when a person wraps one of their pinky fingers around another person 's pinky and makes a promise. Traditionally, it is considered binding, and the idea was originally that the person who breaks the promise must cut off their pinky finger. In a similar vein, among members of the Japanese yakuza ( gangsters ), the penalty for various offenses is removal of parts of the little finger ( known as yubitsume ). Raising a pinky finger can be used as an insulting gesture to imply that a man has a small penis. Rings The Iron Ring is a symbolic ring worn by most Canadian engineers. The Ring is a symbol of both pride and humility for the engineering profession, and is always worn on the pinky of the dominant hand. In the United States the Engineer 's Ring is a stainless steel ring worn on the fifth finger of the working hand by engineers that belong to the Order of the Engineer and have accepted the Obligation of an Engineer. In Australia and the United Kingdom the signet ring is traditionally worn on the little finger of a gentleman 's left hand. In recent years this has relaxed with men and women wearing them on various different fingers ; little fingers still tend to be dominant however. References Jump up ^ Roud, Steve. The Lore of the Playground. Random House. 2010. Jump up ^ Hill, Peter B.E. : `` The Japanese Mafia : Yakuza, law, and the state '', p. 75. Oxford Univ. Press, 2003 See also Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pinky. Fifth metacarpal bone - the bone in the hand proximal to the little finger Pinky ring Pinky swear - a type of oath involving the little finger Yubitsume - a Japanese ritual of apology by amputation of the little finger Red string of fate - a Japanese belief that soulmates are bound by a string attached to the little finger Look up little finger in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Human regional anatomy Head Ear Face Cheek Chin Eye Mouth Nose Forehead Jaw Occiput Scalp Temple Neck Adam 's apple Throat Trunk Abdomen Waist Midriff Navel Back Thorax Breast Pelvis Sex organs Limbs Arm Shoulder Axilla Brachium Elbow Forearm Wrist Hand Finger Thumb Index Middle Ring Little Leg Buttocks Hip Thigh Knee Calf Foot Ankle Heel Sole Toe Other Écorché General anatomy : systems and organs, regional anatomy, planes and lines, superficial axial anatomy, superficial anatomy of limbs Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Little_finger&oldid=825183327 '' Categories : Fingers Human anatomy Hidden categories : Pages with unresolved properties All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2017 All accuracy disputes Articles with disputed statements from April 2013 Commons category with local link different than on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Aragonés ܐܪܡܝܐ Авар বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Български Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Čeština Deutsch ދިވެހިބަސް Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Frysk Gaeilge Gàidhlig Galego ગુજરાતી 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Basa Jawa Kiswahili Кырык мары Лакку Latina मराठी Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Occitan Pangasinan Polski Русский संस्कृतम् Scots Slovenčina Soomaaliga Basa Sunda Suomi Svenska தமிழ் Türkçe Тыва дыл Українська اردو ئۇيغۇرچە / Uyghurche Tiếng Việt Winaray 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 11 February 2018, at 23 : 26. 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Question: where did the name pinky finger come from
Answer: the Dutch word pink, meaning "little finger"