Purlicue

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The angle or space between the thumb and the forefinger when the hand is fully extended ; the webbed area connecting the thumb and index finger ; the natural gap formed at the junction of the first two fingers when spread apart
2. The triangular region found at the palm side between the thumb and adjacent finger ; the fleshy area linking the thumb and forefinger used in grasping ; the anatomical space outlined by the thumb and index finger on the hand
3. The hollow or cleft created between the thumb and forefinger when the fingers are stretched ; the portion of skin joining the thumb to the next digit ; the physical space commonly visible during hand gestures involving spreading of fingers

Etymology: Purlicue is one of those English words whose origin is genuinely unsettled. The space between the thumb and index finger, where a hand curves outward, has a name that seems to have come from dialect rather than from any learned source. Its earliest recorded appearances point to northern England, where it is listed in an 1846 glossary of North Country words, and the word has stayed largely regional and specialist ever since. The most cited suggestion links it to the French phrase "pour la queue," meaning "for the tail," with the idea that the word described something curled or turned at the end. Another possibility connects it to the English verb "pirl" or "purl," meaning to whirl or twirl, which would fit the twisting motion of the fingers as they spread. Neither explanation has been proven, and scholars still debate which, if either, is correct.

Synonyms: thumb web, hand web, hand area