fathom the depths

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

to come to fully understand or comprehend something that is very deep, complex, dark, or difficult to grasp, using the nautical measure of a fathom, equal to six feet, and originally used to sound the depth of water beneath a ship's keel as a metaphor for the effort required to measure and comprehend the full extent of something obscure; the phrase is most commonly used of trying to understand emotions, motivations, or complex situations that do not yield easily to surface-level analysis, suggesting that understanding requires the same patient, methodical effort that a sailor expends taking repeated depth soundings in unfamiliar waters