Middle finger
Encyclopedia
The middle finger or long finger is the third digit of the human hand
, located between the index finger
and the ring finger
. It is usually the longest finger. It is also called the third finger, digitus medius, digitus tertius, or digitus III in anatomy
.
In Western countries, extending the middle finger (either on its own or along with the index finger
in the United Kingdom
) is an offensive and obscene gesture, colloquially known as "flipping the bird
", "flipping someone off", or simply "giving the finger". The gesture is usually used as a form of insult to the person it is directed to.
Hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...
, located between the index finger
Index finger
The index finger, , is the first finger and the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the first and third digits, between the thumb and the middle finger...
and the ring finger
Ring finger
The ring finger is the fourth digit of the human hand, and the second most ulnar finger, located between the middle finger and the little finger. It is also called digitus medicinalis, the fourth finger, digitus annularis, digitus quartus, or digitus IV in anatomy.- Etymology :According to László A...
. It is usually the longest finger. It is also called the third finger, digitus medius, digitus tertius, or digitus III in anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
.
In Western countries, extending the middle finger (either on its own or along with the index finger
Index finger
The index finger, , is the first finger and the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the first and third digits, between the thumb and the middle finger...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) is an offensive and obscene gesture, colloquially known as "flipping the bird
Finger (gesture)
In Western culture, the finger , also known as the middle finger, is an obscene hand gesture, often meaning the phrases "fuck off" , "fuck you" or "up yours"...
", "flipping someone off", or simply "giving the finger". The gesture is usually used as a form of insult to the person it is directed to.