measure vs fathom

measure and fathom both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
measure	Yes	No	Yes	No
fathom	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, fathom is a hyponym of measure; that is, fathom is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than measure:

Other hyponyms of measure include gauge, scale, meter, pace, step, clock, time, sound, titrate, plumb, librate, weigh.

measure (noun)	fathom (noun)
how much there is or how many there are of something that you can quantify	a linear unit of measurement (equal to 6 feet) for water depth
the act or process of assigning numbers to phenomena according to a rule	(mining) a unit of volume (equal to 6 cubic feet) used in measuring bodies of ore
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
measuring instrument having a sequence of marks at regular intervals; used as a reference in making measurements
a container of some standard capacity that is used to obtain fixed amounts of a substance
musical notation for a repeating pattern of musical beats
(prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse
a statute in draft before it becomes law
a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated

measure (verb)	fathom (verb)
express as a number or measure or quantity	measure the depth of (a body of water) with a sounding line
determine the measurements of something or somebody, take measurements of	come to understand
evaluate or estimate the nature, quality, ability, extent, or significance of
have certain dimensions