fingers / toes

[alikim]

Is it OK to say that "a human has 20 fingers" or you need to specify that "a human has 10 fingers and 10 toes"?

 

[Raymott]

Is it OK to say that "a human has 20 fingers" or you need to specify that "a human has 10 fingers and 10 toes"?

A human doesn't have 20 fingers. You can say that a human has 20 digits, or 20 phalanges. But a toe isn't a finger. And a finger isn't a toe - though in lesser mammals, we call the analogous structures 'toes'. Eg. a cat has 18 toes.

 

[5jj]

We can also sub-divide the digits on the hand. We have ten fingers; if we refer to them individually, we call the opposable digit on each hand the thumb.

 

[birdeen's call]

I think "dactyl" means that too, but I have no idea if and how often it's used .

 

[5jj]

I think "dactyl" means that too, but I have no idea if and how often it's used .

I am not sure that it does, other than in compounds such as pterodactyl - 'wing-finger'. The COD gives only the metrical foot definition.

 

[birdeen's call]

I am not sure that it does, other than in compounds such as pterodactyl - 'wing-finger'. The COD gives only the metrical foot definition.

AHD lists the meaning: dactyl - definition of dactyl by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

I've never heard or seen it in this meaning. Knowing the Greek root, I thought it could be a word in English too and looked it up.

 

[birdeen's call]

I was trying to find out if it's used and couldn't find any usage related to humans. This is the only non-lexicographic occurence I have spotted.

Pereiopods 3 and 4 with visible distal elements
(Fig. 1A). Merus oval-shaped, hind margin with 2-3 setae; carpus slightly shorter than propodus, also with several
postero-marginal setae; propodus comparatively long, with
2 short setae on anterior margin and 6-7 pairs of setae on
the posterior margin; dactyls comparatively robust, with
strong apical nail, inner margins with 3-5 spinifirm setae
(Figs. 2B, C).

(http://biol-chem.uwb.edu.pl/IP/POL/BIOLOGIA/pdf/jazkupr2010.pdf)

Doesn't seem very useful, does it...

 

[alikim]

But a toe isn't a finger. And a finger isn't a toe.

Well, it was a linguistic question, not biological.

Biological terminology depends on language, in some languages fingers and toes are always called "fingers", in this sense toe is a finger and vice versa, so I was just curious how the things are in English.

Thanks!