Meaning

noun as much as a thimble will hold

noun a small metal cap to protect the finger while sewing; can be used as a small container

originThe noun is derived from Middle English thymbyll, thimel (“thimble”) [and other forms], from Old English þȳmel (“thimble, thumbstall; fingerstall”), then either: * from Old English þūma (“thumb”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”)) + -el (suffix forming agent nouns and the names of instruments); or * from Proto-Germanic *þūmilaz (“thumb-covering, thumb-sheath”), from *þūmô…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0