Ring finger

The ring finger is the fourth finger of a human hand. It is located between the third and fifth digits, between the middle finger and the little finger. It is so named for its traditional association with wedding rings in many cultures, though not all cultures use this finger as the ring finger. In some cultures the wedding ring is worn on the 'ring finger' of the left hand and in others it is on the right hand. Traditionally, a wedding ring was worn only by the bride/wife, but in recent times more men also wear a wedding ring. It is also the custom in some cultures to wear an engagement ring on the ring finger. The ring finger is the fourth finger of a human hand. It is located between the third and fifth digits, between the middle finger and the little finger. It is so named for its traditional association with wedding rings in many cultures, though not all cultures use this finger as the ring finger. In some cultures the wedding ring is worn on the 'ring finger' of the left hand and in others it is on the right hand. Traditionally, a wedding ring was worn only by the bride/wife, but in recent times more men also wear a wedding ring. It is also the custom in some cultures to wear an engagement ring on the ring finger. In anatomy, the ring finger is called digitus medicinalis, the fourth finger, digitus annularis, digitus quartus, or digitus IV. It may also be referred to as the third finger, excluding the thumb. In Latin, the word anulus means 'ring', digitus means 'finger', and quartus means 'fourth'. The origin of the selection of the fourth finger as the ring finger is not definitively known. According to László A. Magyar, the names of the ring finger in many languages reflect an ancient belief that it is a magical finger. It is named after magic or rings, or called nameless (for example, in Chinese: 無名指, unnamed finger). In Sanskrit and other languages like Finnish or Russian, the ring finger is called respectively - 'Anamika', 'nimetön' and 'Безымянный' ('nameless'). In Arabic and Hebrew, the ring finger is called respectively - bansur (meaning 'victory') - and kmitsa (meaning 'taking a handful'). Before medical science discovered how the circulatory system functioned, people believed that a vein ran directly from the fourth finger on the left hand to the heart. Because of the hand–heart connection, they chose the descriptive name vena amoris, Latin for the vein of love, for this particular vein. Based upon this name, their contemporaries, purported experts in the field of matrimonial etiquette, wrote that it would only be fitting that the wedding ring be worn on this finger. By wearing the ring on the fourth finger of the left hand, a married couple symbolically declares their eternal love for each other.