Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Fin

Fin

(fĭn)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Finned
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Finning
.]
[Cf.
Fin
of a fish.]
To carve or cut up, as a chub.

Fin

,
Noun.
[See
Fine
,
Noun.
]
End; conclusion; object.
[Obs.]
“She knew eke the fin of his intent.”
Chaucer.

Fin

,
Noun.
[OE.
finne
,
fin
, AS.
finn
; akin to D.
vin
, G. & Dan.
finne
, Sw.
fena
, L.
pinna
,
penna
, a wing, feather. Cf.
pen
a feather.]
1.
(Zool.)
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.
(Zool.)
A membranous, finlike, swimming organ, as in pteropod and heteropod mollusks.
(e)
(Mech.)
A feather; a spline.
4.
A finlike appendage, as to submarine boats.
Apidose fin
.
(Zool.)
See under
Adipose
,
Adj.
Fin ray
(Anat.)
,
one of the hornlike, cartilaginous, or bony, dermal rods which form the skeleton of the fins of fishes.
Fin whale
(Zool.)
,
a finback.
Paired fins
(Zool.)
,
the pectoral and ventral fins, corresponding to the fore and hind legs of the higher animals.
Unpaired fins
, or
Median fins
(Zool.)
,
the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins.

Webster 1828 Edition


Fin

FIN

,
Noun.
[L. pinna or penna. The sense is probably a shoot, or it is from diminishing. See Fine.]
The fin of a fish consists of a membrane supported by rays, or little bony or cartilaginous ossicles. The fins of fish serve to keep their bodies upright, and to prevent wavering or vacillation. The fins, except the caudal, do not assist in progressive motion; the tail being the instrument of swimming.

FIN

,
Verb.
T.
To carve or cut up a chub.

Definition 2024


Fin

Fin

See also: fin, FIN, fín, Fín, Fin., fiń., f***in', and Appendix:Variations of "fin"

English

Proper noun

Fin

  1. commune in the Somme department in France

Czech

Pronunciation

Noun

Fin m

  1. Finn

Declension


Dutch

Pronunciation

Noun

Fin m (plural Finnen, diminutive Finnetje n, feminine Finse)

  1. Finn (inhabitant of Finland)

Anagrams


Polish

Pronunciation

Proper noun

Fin m

  1. Finn

Declension

Related terms


Turkish

Proper noun

Fin

  1. Finn

Derived terms

fin

fin

See also: Fin, FIN, fín, Fín, Fin., fiń., and f***in'

English

Noun

fin (plural fins)

  1. (ichthyology) One of the appendages of a fish, used to propel itself and to manoeuvre/maneuver.
    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 4, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
      Then he commenced to talk, really talk. and inside of two flaps of a herring's fin he had me mesmerized, like Eben Holt's boy at the town hall show. He talked about the ills of humanity, and the glories of health and Nature and service and land knows what all.
    The fish's fins minimize water flow.
  2. A similar appendage of a cetacean or other marine animal.
    a dolphin's fin
  3. A thin, rigid component of an aircraft, extending from the fuselage and used to stabilise and steer the aircraft.
    The fin stabilises the plane in flight.
  4. A similar structure on the tail of a bomb, used to help keep it on course.
  5. A hairstyle, resembling the fin of a fish, in which the hair is combed and set into a vertical ridge along the top of the head from about the crown to the forehead.
  6. A device worn by divers and swimmers on their feet.
    The divers wore fins to swim faster.
  7. An extending part on a surface of a radiator, engine, heatsink, etc., used to facilitate cooling.
  8. A sharp raised edge (generally in concrete) capable of damaging a roof membrane or vapor retarder.
Synonyms
  • (appendange of a fish):
  • (appendage of a cetacean or other marine animal): flipper (of mammals)
  • (aircraft component):
  • (of a bomb): vane
  • (hairstyle): Mohican
  • (device worn by divers): flipper
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

fin (third-person singular simple present fins, present participle finning, simple past and past participle finned)

  1. (transitive) To cut the fins from a fish, shark, etc.
  2. (intransitive) To swim in the manner of a fish.
    A neutrally buoyant diver does not need to fin to maintain depth.
  3. (transitive) To provide (a motor vehicle etc) with fins.

External links

Etymology 2

From Yiddish פֿינף (finf, five).

Noun

fin (plural fins)

  1. (US, slang) A five-dollar bill.
Synonyms

Anagrams


Asturian

Noun

fin m, f (plural fins)

  1. end (extreme part)
  2. end (final part, in time)

Bambara

Adjective

fin

  1. black

Synonyms

  • finman

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

Ultimately, from Old Norse finnr (Finn, Sami).

Adjective

fin

  1. Finnish

References

  • Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary], Simferopol: Dolya, ISBN 966-7980-89-8

Dalmatian

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin faenum. Compare Italian fieno, Romanian fân, Friulian fen, Romansch fain, French foin, Portuguese feno, Spanish heno. Alternative form also possibly through a Venetian intermediate as a loan word.

Noun

fin m

  1. hay

Danish

Etymology

From late Old Norse fínn.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fin/, [ˈfiˀn]
  • Rhymes: -in

Adjective

fin

  1. fine
  2. choice, classy
  3. delicate
  4. fashionable
  5. grand, posh, genteel

Inflection

Inflection of fin
Positive Comparative Superlative
Common singular fin finere finest2
Neuter singular fint finere finest2
Plural fine finere finest2
Definite attributive1 fine finere fineste
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

French

Etymology

From Middle French fin, from Old French fin, from Latin finitus.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fɛ̃/
  • Homophone: faim

Noun

fin f (plural fins)

  1. end, close, finish
  2. end, objective, purpose

Derived terms

Related terms

Adjective

fin m (feminine singular fine, masculine plural fins, feminine plural fines)

  1. thin, fine
  2. (Quebec) kind, nice

Derived terms


Friulian

Etymology

From Latin fīnis.

Noun

fin m (plural fins)

  1. end

Galician

Etymology

From Latin fīnis.

Noun

fin m, f (plural fines)

  1. end

Derived terms

Related terms


Gothic

Romanization

fin

  1. Romanization of 𐍆𐌹𐌽

Ladin

Etymology

From Latin fīnis.

Noun

fin m (plural fins)

  1. aim, end, goal

Ladino

Etymology

From Latin fīnis.

Noun

fin f (Latin spelling, Hebrew spelling פין)

  1. end

Lojban

Rafsi

fin

  1. rafsi of finti.

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French fin, from Latin finitus.

Noun

fin f (plural fins)

  1. end; finish
  2. (figuratively) death

Norman

Etymology

From Old French fin, from Latin finitus.

Adjective

fin m

  1. (Guernsey) fine

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin finis, and late Old Norse finn

Adjective

fin (neuter singular fint, definite singular and plural fine, comparative finere, indefinite superlative finest, definite superlative fineste)

  1. fine

Derived terms

References


Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

fin (masculine and feminine fin, neuter fint, definite singular and plural fine, comparative finare, indefinite superlative finast, definite superlative finaste)

  1. fine

Old French

Etymology

From Latin finitus.

Adjective

fin m (oblique and nominative feminine singular fine)

  1. fine, delicate

Declension

Descendants


Old Provençal

Noun

fin f (oblique plural fins, nominative singular fin, nominative plural fins)

  1. end (final part)

Romanian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fin/

Etymology 1

Borrowing from French fin.

Adjective

fin m, n (feminine singular fină, masculine plural fini, feminine and neuter plural fine)

  1. fine, delicate
  2. subtle
Declension

Etymology 2

From Vulgar Latin root *fīliānus, from Latin fīlius. Compare also Albanian fijan, Italian figliano.

Noun

fin m (plural fini, feminine equivalent fină)

  1. godson
Declension
Related terms
See also

Romansch

Etymology 1

Preposition

fin

  1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Puter, Vallader) until, till
  2. (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Puter, Vallader) by
Synonyms
  • (Sursilvan) tochen
  • (Sutsilvan) antocen, antoca, toca
  • (Rumantsch Grischun) enfin
  • (Surmiran) anfignen
  • (Puter, Vallader) infin
  • (by):
    • (Sursilvan) entochen

Conjunction

fin

  1. (Rumantsch Grischun) until
Synonyms
  • (Sursilvan) tochen che, entochen che
  • (Sutsilvan) antoca, antocen, toca
  • (Surmiran) anfignen tgi
  • (Puter, Vallader) fin cha

Adverb

fin

  1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Puter, Vallader) as far as
Synonyms
  • (Sursilvan) tochen, entochen
  • (Sutsilvan) antocen, antoca, toca
  • (Surmiran) anfignen
  • (Puter, Vallader) infin

Etymology 2

From Latin fīnis.

Adjective

fin m (feminine singular fina, masculine plural fins, feminine plural finas)

  1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Puter, Vallader) fine
Alternative forms
  • (Sutsilvan, Surmiran) fegn

Etymology 3

From Latin fīnis.

Adjective

fin f (plural fins)

  1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Puter, Vallader) end
Alternative forms
  • (Sutsilvan, Surmiran) fegn

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From German fein and Italian fino, from Latin.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fîːn/

Adjective

fȋn (definite fȋnī, comparative finiji, Cyrillic spelling фи̑н)

  1. fine
  2. thin
  3. delicate
  4. sensitive
  5. refined
  6. first-class, high-class

Declension

References

  • fin” in Hrvatski jezični portal

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin fīnis.

Noun

fin m (plural fines)

  1. (sometimes feminine) end
    el fin de semana — the weekend
  2. purpose

Derived terms

Related terms


Swedish

Pronunciation

Etymology

Since at least the 16th century, from French fin.

Adjective

fin (comparative finare, superlative finast)

  1. fine, elegant
  2. good, excellent
  3. thin
  4. subtle

Declension

Inflection of fin
Indefinite/attributive Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular fin finare finast
Neuter singular fint finare finast
Plural fina finare finast
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 fine finare finaste
All fina finare finaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in an attributive role.

Volapük

Noun

fin (plural fins)

  1. end

Declension