Etymology

ear finger

Today it means: The little finger. Full definition →

Middle English ere fynger ← Old English ēarefinger
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The story

  1. Old English · inherited fromēarefinger“little finger”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromere fynger
  3. English todayear finger

From Middle English ere fynger, from Old English ēarefinger (“little finger”), equivalent to ear + finger, from its use in removing wax.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.