      the cubit is an ancient unit of length based on the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. cubits of various lengths were employed in many parts of the world in antiquity, during the middle ages and as recently as early modern times. the term is still used in hedge laying, the length of the forearm being frequently used to determine the interval between stakes placed within the hedge. other units of measure based on the length of the forearm include some kinds of ell, the indian hasta, khmer hat and thai sok. ==etymology== the english word "cubit" comes from the latin noun cubitum "elbow", from the verb cubo, cubare, cubui, cubitum "to lie down",cassell's latin dictionary from which also comes the adjective "recumbent".oxford english dictionary, second edition, 1989; online version september 2011. s.v. "cubit" ==the egyptian royal cubit== thumb|550px|center| cubit rod from the turin museum. {| style="width: 200px; float: right; border: 1px solid #bbb; margin: .46em 0 0 .2em;" |- | valign="center"; align="center" |m23-t:n-d42 hieroglyph of the royal cubit, meh niswt |} the earliest attested standard measure is from the ancient egypt and was called the royal cubit (meh niswt). early evidence for the use of the royal cubit comes from the early dynastic period: on the palermo stone, the flood level of the nile river during the reign of the pharaoh djer is given as measuring 6 cubits and 1 palm. use of the royal cubit is also known from old kingdom architecture, from at least as early as the construction of the step pyramid of djoser in around 2,700 b.c. in ancient egypt, cubit rods were used for the measurement of length. a number of these have survived: two are known from the tomb of maya, the treasurer of tutankhamun, in saqqara; another was found in the tomb o
Human-based_units_of_measurement Obsolete_units_of_measurement Units_of_length