Etymology

leech-finger

Today it means: The finger next to the little finger; ring-finger. Full definition →

Middle English leche fingir ← Old English lǣċefinger
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The story

  1. Old English · inherited fromlǣċefinger“fourth finger, leech-finger”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromleche fingir
  3. English todayleech-finger

From Middle English leche fingir, læchefinger, from Old English lǣċefinger (“fourth finger, leech-finger”), equivalent to leech (“physician”) + finger. Compare Old Norse lǽknisfingr (“leech-finger”), Icelandic læknisfingur. According to medieval belief, a nerve or artery ran from this digit to the heart. It gave the finger a prominent role in medical lore and practice. Doctors would use it when applying treatments, for example.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.