thumbkin

noun — 2 senses

thumbkin

noun

Etymology From thumb + -kin.

1

Historical An instrument of torture for compressing the thumb; a thumbscrew.

2

Childish, Rare The thumb.

Thumbkin is the pusher. Pointer shows us where to go. Tall-man wears the thimble, And helps us all to sew.1895, Margaret Naomi MacArthur, Kindergarten Review, Finger Play, page 75:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.