Fin transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Finned ; present participle & verbal noun Finning .] [ Confer Fin of a fish.] To carve or cut up, as a chub.

Fin noun [ See Fine , noun ] End; conclusion; object. [ Obsolete] "She knew eke the fin of his intent." Chaucer.

Fin noun [ Middle English finne , fin , Anglo-Saxon finn ; akin to Dutch vin , G. & Danish finne , Swedish fena , Latin pinna , penna , a wing, feather. Confer pen a feather.]
1. (Zoology) An organ of a fish, consisting of a membrane supported by rays, or little bony or cartilaginous ossicles, and serving to balance and propel it in the water.

» Fishes move through the water chiefly by means of the caudal fin or tail, the principal office of the other fins being to balance or direct the body, though they are also, to a certain extent, employed in producing motion.

2. (Zoology) A membranous, finlike, swimming organ, as in pteropod and heteropod mollusks.

3. A finlike organ or attachment; a part of an object or product which protrudes like a fin , as: (a) The hand. [ Slang] (b) (Com.) A blade of whalebone. [ Eng.] McElrath.

(c) (Mech.) A mark or ridge left on a casting at the junction of the parts of a mold. (d) (Mech.) The thin sheet of metal squeezed out between the collars of the rolls in the process of rolling. Raymond.

(e) (Mech.) A feather; a spline.

4. A finlike appendage, as to submarine boats.

Apidose fin . (Zoology) See under Adipose , adjective -- Fin ray (Anat.) , one of the hornlike, cartilaginous, or bony, dermal rods which form the skeleton of the fins of fishes. -- Fin whale (Zoology) , a finback. -- Paired fins (Zoology) , the pectoral and ventral fins, corresponding to the fore and hind legs of the higher animals. -- Unpaired, or Median , fins (Zoology) , the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins.

Fin noun (Aëronautics) A fixed stabilizing surface, usually vertical, similar in purpose to a bilge keel on a ship.

Fin de siècle [ French] Lit., end of the century; -- mostly used adjectively in English to signify: belonging to, or characteristic of, the close of the 19th century; modern; "up- to-date;" as, fin-de-siècle ideas.

Fin keel (Nautical) A projection downward from the keel of a yacht, resembling in shape the fin of a fish, though often with a cigar-shaped bulb of lead at the bottom, and generally made of metal. Its use is to ballast the boat and also to enable her to sail close to the wind and to make the least possible leeway by offering great resistance to lateral motion through the water.

Finable adjective [ From Fine .] Liable or subject to a fine; as, a finable person or offense. Bacon.

Final (fī"n a l) adjective [ French, from Latin finalis , from finis boundary, limit, end. See Finish .]
1. Pertaining to the end or conclusion; last; terminating; ultimate; as, the final day of a school term.

Yet despair not of his final pardon.

Milton.

2. Conclusive; decisive; as, a final judgment; the battle of Waterloo brought the contest to a final issue.

3. Respecting an end or object to be gained; respecting the purpose or ultimate end in view.

Final cause . See under Cause .

Syn. -- Final , Conclusive , Ultimate . Final is now appropriated to that which brings with it an end; as, a final adjustment; the final judgment, etc. Conclusive implies the closing of all discussion, negotiation, etc.; as, a conclusive argument or fact; a conclusive arrangement. In using ultimate , we have always reference to something earlier or proceeding; as when we say, a temporary reverse may lead to an ultimate triumph. The statements which a man finally makes at the close of a negotiation are usually conclusive as to his ultimate intentions and designs.

Finale (fe*nä"la) noun [ Italian See Final .] Close; termination ; as: (a) (Mus.) The last movement of a symphony, sonata, concerto, or any instrumental composition. (b) The last composition performed in any act of an opera. (c) The closing part, piece, or scene in any public performance or exhibition.

Finalist noun (Sports) Any of the players who meet in the final round of a tournament in which the losers in any round do not play again.

Finality noun ; plural Finalities . [ Latin finalitas the being last.]
1. The state of being final, finished, or complete; a final or conclusive arrangement; a settlement. Baxter.

2. The relation of end or purpose to its means. Janet.

Finally adverb
1. At the end or conclusion; ultimately; lastly; as, the contest was long, but the Romans finally conquered.

Whom patience finally must crown.

Milton.

2. Completely; beyond recovery.

Not any house of noble English in Ireland was utterly destroyed or finally rooted out.

Sir J. Davies.

Finance noun [ French, from Late Latin financia payment of money, money, from finare to pay a fine or subsidy (cf. Old French finer to finish, pay), from Latin finis end. See Fine , noun , Finish .]
1. The income of a ruler or of a state; revenue; public money; sometimes, the income of an individual; often used in the plural for funds; available money; resources.

All the finances or revenues of the imperial crown.

Bacon.

2. The science of raising and expending the public revenue. "Versed in the details of finance ." Macaulay.

Finance transitive verb & i. [ imperfect & past participle Financed ; present participle & verbal noun Financing .] To conduct the finances of; to provide for, and manage, the capital for; to financier.

Securing foreign capital to finance multitudinous undertakings.

B. H. Chamberlain.

Financial adjective Pertaining to finance. "Our financial and commercial system." Macaulay.

Financialist noun A financier.

Financially adverb In a financial manner. Burke.

Financier noun [ Confer French financier .]
1. One charged with the administration of finance; an officer who administers the public revenue; a treasurer. Burke.

2. One skilled in financial operations; one acquainted with money matters.

Financier intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Financiered ; present participle & verbal noun Financiering .] To conduct financial operations.

Finary noun (Iron Works) See Finery .

Finative adjective Conclusive; decisive; definitive; final. [ Obsolete] Greene (1593).

Finback noun (Zoology) Any whale of the genera Sibbaldius , Balænoptera , and allied genera, of the family Balænopteridæ , characterized by a prominent fin on the back. The common finbacks of the New England coast are Sibbaldius tectirostris and S. tuberosus .

Finbat kite = Eddy kite . [ Eng.]

Finch (fĭnch) noun ; plural Finches (-ĕz). [ Anglo-Saxon finc ; akin to Dutch vink , Old High German fincho , German fink ; confer W. pinc a finch; also English spink .] (Zoology) A small singing bird of many genera and species, belonging to the family Fringillidæ .

» The word is often used in composition, as in chaf finch , gold finch , grass finch , pine finch , etc.

Bramble finch . See Brambling . -- Canary finch , the canary bird. -- Copper finch . See Chaffinch . -- Diamond finch . See under Diamond . - - Finch falcon (Zoology) , one of several very small East Indian falcons of the genus Hierax . -- To pull a finch , to swindle an ignorant or unsuspecting person. [ Obsolete] "Privily a finch eke could he pull ." Chaucer.

Finchbacked adjective Streaked or spotted on the back; -- said of cattle.

Finched adjective Same as Finchbacked .

Find (fīnd) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Found (found); present participle & verbal noun Finding .] [ Anglo-Saxon findan ; akin to Dutch vinden , Old Saxon & Old High German findan , German finden , Danish finde , icel. & Swedish finna , Goth. finþan ; and perhaps to Latin petere to seek, Greek pi`ptein to fall, Sanskrit pat to fall, fly, English petition .]
1. To meet with, or light upon, accidentally; to gain the first sight or knowledge of, as of something new, or unknown; hence, to fall in with, as a person.

Searching the window for a flint, I found
This paper, thus sealed up.

Shak.

In woods and forests thou art found .

Cowley.

2. To learn by experience or trial; to perceive; to experience; to discover by the intellect or the feelings; to detect; to feel. "I find you passing gentle." Shak.

The torrid zone is now found habitable.

Cowley.

3. To come upon by seeking; as, to find something lost. (a) To discover by sounding; as, to find bottom. (b) To discover by study or experiment direct to an object or end; as, water is found to be a compound substance. (c) To gain, as the object of desire or effort; as, to find leisure; to find means. (d) To attain to; to arrive at; to acquire.

Seek, and ye shall find .

Matt. vii. 7.

Every mountain now hath found a tongue.

Byron.

4. To provide for; to supply; to furnish; as, to find food for workemen; he finds his nephew in money.

Wages £14 and all found .

London Times.

Nothing a day and find yourself.

Dickens.

5. To arrive at, as a conclusion; to determine as true; to establish; as, to find a verdict; to find a true bill (of indictment) against an accused person.

To find his title with some shows of truth.

Shak.

To find out , to detect (a thief); to discover (a secret) -- to solve or unriddle (a parable or enigma); to understand. "Canst thou by searching find out God?" Job. xi. 7. "We do hope to find out all your tricks." Milton. -- To find fault with , to blame; to censure. -- To find one's self , to be; to fare; -- often used in speaking of health; as, how do you find yourself this morning?

Find intransitive verb (Law) To determine an issue of fact, and to declare such a determination to a court; as, the jury find for the plaintiff. Burrill.

Find noun Anything found; a discovery of anything valuable; especially, a deposit, discovered by archæologists, of objects of prehistoric or unknown origin.

Findable adjective Capable of being found; discoverable. Fuller.

Finder noun One who, or that which, finds; specifically (Astron.) , a small telescope of low power and large field of view, attached to a larger telescope, for the purpose of finding an object more readily.

Finder noun (Micros.) A slide ruled in squares, so as to assist in locating particular points in the field of vision.

Findfault noun A censurer or caviler. [ Obsolete]

Findfaulting adjective Apt to censure or cavil; faultfinding; captious. [ Obsolete] Whitlock.

Finding noun
1. That which is found, come upon, or provided; esp. ( plural ), that which a journeyman artisan finds or provides for himself; as tools, trimmings, etc.

When a man hath been laboring . . . in the deep mines of knowledge, hath furnished out his findings in all their equipage.

Milton.

2. Support; maintenance; that which is provided for one; expence; provision.

3. (Law) The result of a judicial examination or inquiry, especially into some matter of fact; a verdict; as, the finding of a jury. Burrill.

After his friends finding and his rent.

Chaucer.

Findy adjective [ Anglo-Saxon finding heavy; confer Danish fyndig strong, energetical, fynd strength, energy, emphasis.] Full; heavy; firm; solid; substantial. [ Obsolete]

A cold May and a windy
Makes the barn fat amd findy .

Old Proverb.

Fine (fīn) adjective [ Compar. Finer ; superl. Finest .] [ French fin , Late Latin finus fine, pure, from Latin finire to finish; confer finitus , past participle , finished, completed (hence the sense accomplished , perfect .) See Finish , and confer Finite .]
1. Finished; brought to perfection; refined; hence, free from impurity; excellent; superior; elegant; worthy of admiration; accomplished; beautiful.

The gain thereof [ is better] than fine gold.

Prov. iii. 14.

A cup of wine that's brisk and fine .

Shak.

Not only the finest gentleman of his time, but one of the finest scholars.

Felton.

To soothe the sick bed of so fine a being [ Keats].

Leigh Hunt.

2. Aiming at show or effect; loaded with ornament; overdressed or overdecorated; showy.

He gratified them with occasional . . . fine writing.

M. Arnold.

3. Nice; delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; skillful; dexterous.

The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine !

Pope.

The nicest and most delicate touches of satire consist in fine raillery.

Dryden.

He has as fine a hand at picking a pocket as a woman.

T. Gray.

4. Not coarse, gross, or heavy ; as: (a) Not gross; subtile; thin; tenous.

The eye standeth in the finer medium and the object in the grosser.

Bacon.

(b) Not coarse; comminuted; in small particles; as, fine sand or flour. (c) Not thick or heavy; slender; filmy; as, a fine thread. (d) Thin; attenuate; keen; as, a fine edge. (e) Made of fine materials; light; delicate; as, fine linen or silk.

5. Having (such) a proportion of pure metal in its composition; as, coins nine tenths fine .

6. (Used ironically.)

Ye have made a fine hand, fellows.

Shak.

» Fine is often compounded with participles and adjectives, modifying them adverbially; a, fine -drawn, fine -featured, fine -grained, fine -spoken, fine -spun, etc.

Fine arch (Glass Making) , the smaller fritting furnace of a glasshouse. Knight. -- Fine arts . See the Note under Art . -- Fine cut , fine cut tobacco; a kind of chewing tobacco cut up into shreds. -- Fine goods , woven fabrics of fine texture and quality. McElrath. -- Fine stuff , lime, or a mixture of lime, plaster, etc., used as material for the finishing coat in plastering. -- To sail fine (Nautical) , to sail as close to the wind as possible.

Syn. -- Fine , Beautiful . When used as a word of praise, fine (being opposed to coarse ) denotes no "ordinary thing of its kind." It is not as strong as beautiful , in reference to the single attribute implied in the latter term; but when we speak of a fine woman, we include a greater variety of particulars, viz., all the qualities which become a woman, -- breeding, sentiment, tact, etc. The term is equally comprehensive when we speak of a fine garden, landscape, horse, poem, etc.; and, though applied to a great variety of objects, the word has still a very definite sense, denoting a high degree of characteristic excellence.

Fine transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Fined (fīnd); present participle & verbal noun Fining .] [ From Fine , adjective ]
1. To make fine; to refine; to purify, to clarify; as, to fine gold.

It hath been fined and refined by . . . learned men.

Hobbes.

2. To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.; as. to fine the soil. Latin H. Bailey.

3. To change by fine gradations; as (Nautical) , to fine down a ship's lines, to diminish her lines gradually.

I often sate at home
On evenings, watching how they fined themselves
With gradual conscience to a perfect night.

Browning.

Fine noun [ Middle English fin , Latin finis end, also in Late Latin , a final agreement or concord between the lord and his vassal; a sum of money paid at the end , so as to make an end of a transaction, suit, or prosecution; mulct; penalty; confer Old French fin end, settlement, French fin end. See Finish , and confer Finance .]
1. End; conclusion; termination; extinction. [ Obsolete] "To see their fatal fine ." Spenser.

Is this the fine of his fines?

Shak.

2. A sum of money paid as the settlement of a claim, or by way of terminating a matter in dispute; especially, a payment of money imposed upon a party as a punishment for an offense; a mulct.

3. (Law) (a) (Feudal Law) A final agreement concerning lands or rents between persons, as the lord and his vassal. Spelman.

(b) (Eng. Law) A sum of money or price paid for obtaining a benefit, favor, or privilege, as for admission to a copyhold, or for obtaining or renewing a lease.

Fine for alienation (Feudal Law) , a sum of money paid to the lord by a tenant whenever he had occasion to make over his land to another. Burrill. -- Fine of lands , a species of conveyance in the form of a fictitious suit compromised or terminated by the acknowledgment of the previous owner that such land was the right of the other party. Burrill. See Concord , noun , 4. -- In fine , in conclusion; by way of termination or summing up.

Fine transitive verb [ From Fine , noun ] To impose a pecuniary penalty upon for an offense or breach of law; to set a fine on by judgment of a court; to punish by fine; to mulct; as, the trespassers were fined ten dollars.

Fine intransitive verb To pay a fine. See Fine , noun , 3 (b) . [ R.]

Men fined for the king's good will; or that he would remit his anger; women fined for leave to marry.

Hallam.

Fine transitive verb & i. [ Old French finer , French finir . See Finish , transitive verb ] To finish; to cease; or to cause to cease. [ Obsolete]

Fine adverb
1. Finely; well; elegantly; fully; delicately; mincingly. [ Obsolete, Dial., or Colloq.]

2. (Billiards & Pool) In a manner so that the driven ball strikes the object ball so far to one side as to be deflected but little, the object ball being driven to one side.

Fine (fīn) intransitive verb To become fine (in any one of various senses); as, the ale will fine ; the weather fined .

To fine away, down, off , gradually to become fine; to diminish; to dwindle.

I watched her [ the ship] . . . gradually fining down in the westward until I lost of her hull.

W. C. Russel.

Finedraw transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Finedrawn ; present participle & verbal noun Finedrawing .] To sew up, so nicely that the seam is not perceived; to renter. Marryat.

Finedrawer noun One who finedraws.

Finedrawn adjective Drawn out with too much subtilty; overnice; as, finedrawn speculations.

Fineer intransitive verb To run in debt by getting goods made up in a way unsuitable for the use of others, and then threatening not to take them except on credit. [ R.] Goldsmith.

Fineer transitive verb To veneer.

Fineless adjective [ Fine end + -less .] Endless; boundless. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Finely adverb In a fine or finished manner.