<P> The cubit is an ancient unit of length that had several definitions according to each of the various different cultures that used the unit . These definitions ranged between 444 and 529.2 mm (17.48 and 20.83 in). The unit was based on the forearm length from the tip of the middle finger to the bottom of the elbow . Cubits of various lengths were employed in many parts of the world in antiquity, during the Middle Ages and as recently as Early Modern Times . The term is still used in hedgelaying, the length of the forearm being frequently used to determine the interval between stakes placed within the hedge . </P> <P> The English word "cubit" comes from the Latin noun cubitus "elbow", from the verb cubo, cubare, cubui, cubitum "to lie down", from which also comes the adjective "recumbent". </P>

In babylonian system of measurement one cubit consisted of