The Ultimate Question

[Snake]

Ok I dont understand why people say that the thumb is not a finger, does anyone here thinks it isnt? if yes please! tell me why!

[Outcast]

Why wouldn't it be...?

[PANZERCATWAGON]

[Snake]

hum...what is that suppossed to mean?

Why wouldn't it be...?

Thats the same question I ask myself

[~Niko~]

Who's dumb enough to say that it isn't a finger?

[Snake]

Who's dumb enough to say that it isn't a finger?

Some of my Canadian friends I guess lol

[Eagles_Arrows]

Just because the thumb doesn't have "finger" in its name doesn't mean that it's not a finger.

[Wormdundee]

The Thumb

As one of five digits, and as companion to four fingers

The English word "finger" has two senses, even in the context of appendages of a single typical human hand:
The four digits, not including the thumb.
Any of the five digits.

Linguistically, it appears that the original sense was the broader of these two: penkwe-ros (also rendered as penqrós) was, in the inferred Proto-Indo-European language, a suffixed form of penkwe (or penqe), which has given rise to many Indo-European-family words (tens of them defined in English dictionaries) that involve or flow from concepts of fiveness.
The thumb shares the following with each of the (other) four fingers:
Having a skeleton of phalanges, joined by hinge-like joints that provide flexion toward the palm of the hand
Having a "back" surface that features hair and a nail, and a hairless palm-of-the-hand side with fingerprint ridges instead
The thumb contrasts with each of the (other) four by being the only finger that:

Is opposable
Has two phalanges rather than three
Has its inmost phalanx so close to the wrist
Has much greater breadth and stubby proportions
Is attached to such a mobile metacarpus (which produces most of the opposability)

[iDante]

I tend to distinguish between thumbs and fingers, if only because the thumbs have one less joint and serve a different purpose than the rest of them.

[Antipathy]

In my country, saying that the thumb is not a finger would make you look like a retard.

[The Geologist]

The Thumb

As one of five digits, and as companion to four fingers

The English word "finger" has two senses, even in the context of appendages of a single typical human hand:
The four digits, not including the thumb.
Any of the five digits.

Linguistically, it appears that the original sense was the broader of these two: penkwe-ros (also rendered as penqrós) was, in the inferred Proto-Indo-European language, a suffixed form of penkwe (or penqe), which has given rise to many Indo-European-family words (tens of them defined in English dictionaries) that involve or flow from concepts of fiveness.
The thumb shares the following with each of the (other) four fingers:
Having a skeleton of phalanges, joined by hinge-like joints that provide flexion toward the palm of the hand
Having a "back" surface that features hair and a nail, and a hairless palm-of-the-hand side with fingerprint ridges instead
The thumb contrasts with each of the (other) four by being the only finger that:

Is opposable
Has two phalanges rather than three
Has its inmost phalanx so close to the wrist
Has much greater breadth and stubby proportions
Is attached to such a mobile metacarpus (which produces most of the opposability)

Nice wiki search.  Just saw that myself. 

[smiluu]

Nice wiki search.  Just saw that myself. 

Oh so you searched it from wiki too.

[Vilho]

Hell, I don't need Wikipedia to say that thumb is a finger.

[The Geologist]

It's different, and yet the same on a few aspects.  Always nice to have a convenient source for some of the basics.

[~Niko~]

You can difference between thumb and finger, but it's a finger anyways.

[The Geologist]

You can difference between thumb and finger, but it's a finger anyways.

Alright, tell me why it's a finger.

Also, please don't tell me because it's on your hand or because it has hair on it.

[Espadon]

You guys have to agree first on your definition of 'finger.' =.=

[jrgp]

It's a finger because it's attached to your hand, extends from it, and is movable/flexible to an extent. Just because it isn't next to the other 4 fingers doesn't make it not a finger.

[The Geologist]

Also, please don't tell me because it's on your hand or because it has hair on it.

Is that really a reason?  Just because it's part of the hand and can move?  I mean, it's different from the fingers and all.

[Espadon]

Question, is the pinky a 'finger' then? Again, you need to first define what is considered a finger to be able to answer what a thumb is.