– Definition: n. A unit of measurement; the distance between one’s elbow and middle-fingertip (approximately 18 inches)
– Used in a sentence: My cat is almost exactly two cubits long, including his tail.
– Why: Sure, we could always double the distance and call it “a yard” — but cubit is more organic, deriving as it does from our bodies. And I think measuring the Universe using our bodies is both a good metaphor and a fine aspiration.