fine

fine · adjective, adverb, interjection, noun, verb¹

1. Latin · derived fromfīnīre“to finish”
2. Old French · derived fromfin“fine, minute, exact”
3. Middle English · inherited fromfin
4. English todayfine

From Middle English fin, fyn, from Old French fin (“fine, minute, exact”), of obscure origin, but probably derived from Latin fīnīre (“to finish”) or fīnis (“boundary, limit, end”), with an abstract sense of fine or thin also arising in many Romance languages (compare Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish fino). Doublet of fino.

fine · noun, verb²

1. Medieval Latin · derived fromfīnis“a payment in settlement or tax”
2. Old French · derived fromfin
3. Middle English · inherited fromfyn
4. English todayfine

From Middle English fyn, fyne, from Old French fin, from Medieval Latin fīnis (“a payment in settlement or tax”). Doublet of fin and finis.

fine · noun³

1. Italian · borrowed fromfine“end”
2. English todayfine

From Italian fine (“end”). French fin. Doublet of fin and finis.

fine · verb, noun⁴

1. Old French · derived fromfiner
2. Middle English · inherited fromfinen
3. English todayfine

From Middle English finen, fynen, from Old French finer, finir. See finish (transitive verb).

Fine · proper noun⁵

* As an English surname, from the adjective fine. * As an English and Irish surname, variant of Finn. * As a German and Jewish surname, Americanized from Fein.

Words from the same roots