Montaigne notes that physicians call the thumb the "master finger," derived from the Latin pollere , meaning "to be powerful". He explores how this small digit has historically been a symbol of authority and a target in warfare:
On the strange brevity of Montaigne's "Of Thumbs" - Essay Daily
: He even mentions that in Lacedaemon, teachers would discipline their students by biting their thumbs. Modern Perspectives and "Rule of Thumb"
: In Ancient Rome, the direction of the thumb was used to signal life or death in the gladiatorial pits—depressing or turning in the thumb was a sign of favor.
40 Something Thumbs Apr 2026
Montaigne notes that physicians call the thumb the "master finger," derived from the Latin pollere , meaning "to be powerful". He explores how this small digit has historically been a symbol of authority and a target in warfare:
On the strange brevity of Montaigne's "Of Thumbs" - Essay Daily 40 something thumbs
: He even mentions that in Lacedaemon, teachers would discipline their students by biting their thumbs. Modern Perspectives and "Rule of Thumb" Montaigne notes that physicians call the thumb the
: In Ancient Rome, the direction of the thumb was used to signal life or death in the gladiatorial pits—depressing or turning in the thumb was a sign of favor. " derived from the Latin pollere