View source for Middle finger

{{Short description|Third finger of the human hand}}
{{For|the offensive gesture|The finger}}
{{Other uses}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Infobox anatomy
|Name = Middle finger
|Latin = digitus III manus, digitus medius manus, digitus tertius manus
|Image = Hand - Middle finger.jpg
|Caption = Middle finger of the left hand
|Image2 =
|Caption2 =
|Precursor =
|System =
|Artery = [[Proper palmar digital arteries]], <br>[[dorsal digital arteries of hand|dorsal digital arteries]]
|Vein = [[Palmar digital veins]], [[dorsal digital veins of the hand|dorsal digital veins]]
|Nerve = [[Dorsal digital nerves of radial nerve]], [[proper palmar digital nerves of median nerve]]
|Lymph =
}}

The '''middle finger''', '''long finger''', '''second finger''',<ref>{{cite web |title=middle finger |url=https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/middle%20finger |website=www.vocabulary.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=middle finger |url=https://www.thefreedictionary.com/middle+finger |website=TheFreeDictionary.com |access-date=17 August 2022}}</ref> '''third finger''',<ref>{{cite web |title=third finger |url=https://www.thefreedictionary.com/third+finger |website=Medical Dictionary |access-date=17 August 2022}}</ref> '''tall finger''' or '''tall man'''{{citation needed|date=July 2025}} is the third digit of the [[human]] [[hand]], typically located between the [[index finger]] and the [[ring finger]].  It is typically the longest digit. In [[anatomy]], it is also called ''the third finger'', ''digitus medius'', ''digitus tertius'' or ''digitus III''.

==Overview==
In Western countries, [[The finger|extending the middle finger]] (either by itself, or along with the [[index finger]] in the United Kingdom: see [[V sign]]) is an offensive and obscene gesture, widely recognized as a form of insult, due to its resemblance of an [[Erection|erect]] [[penis]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=When did the middle finger become offensive?|work=BBC News |date=6 February 2012 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16916263}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The shock index: is giving the finger still offensive?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/feb/22/shock-index-finger-adele-mia|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=22 February 2012 }}</ref> It is known, colloquially, as "flipping the bird",<ref>{{cite book |title=101 Ways to Flip the Bird |author=Jason Joseph, Rick Joseph |year=2007 |publisher=[[Broadway Books]] |isbn=978-0-7679-2681-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7YJl2X7CZNIC&q=flipping+the+bird&pg=PP1}}</ref> "flipping (someone) off", or "giving (someone) the finger". 

The middle finger is often used for [[finger snapping]] together with the thumb.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Acharya |first1=Raghav |last2=Challita |first2=Elio J. |last3=Ilton |first3=Mark |last4=Saad Bhamla |first4=M. |title=The ultrafast snap of a finger is mediated by skin friction |journal=Journal of the Royal Society Interface |date=November 2021 |volume=18 |issue=184 |doi=10.1098/rsif.2021.0672 |pmid=34784775 |url=https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2021.0672v|pmc=8596009 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Finger numbering]]
* [[Galileo's middle finger]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Middle fingers}}

{{Human anatomical features}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Middle Finger}}
[[Category:Fingers]]

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