fine

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See also:finéandfíne

English

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EnglishWikipediahas an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology 1

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FromMiddle Englishfin,fyn,fromOld Frenchfin(“fine, minute, exact”),of obscure origin, but probably derived fromLatinfīnīre(“to finish”)and/orfīnis(“boundary, limit, end”),with an abstract sense of "fine" or "thin" also arising in many Romance languages (compare Spanish, Portuguese, and Italianfino).Doubletoffino.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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fine(comparativefiner,superlativefinest)

  1. Senses referring to subjective quality.
    1. Of superior quality.
      The tree frog that they encountered was truly afinespecimen.
      Only a reallyfinewine could fully complement Lucía's hand-made pasta.
      • 1856,L. S. Lavenu, chapter XVII, inErlesmere; or, Contrasts of Character‎[1],volume 1, London: Smith, Elder & Co.,page171:
        "That's afineyoung fellow, "said the historiographer of earwigs, to an American who stood next him in the crowd.
      • 1910,Emerson Hough,chapter I, inThe Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise,Indianapolis, Ind.:The Bobbs-Merrill Company,→OCLC:
        "Afineman, that Dunwody, yonder, "commented the young captain, as they parted, and as he turned to his prisoner." We'll see him on in Washington some day. He is strengthening his forces now against Mr. Benton out there.[…]."
      Synonyms:good,excellent
    2. (ironic)Impressively bad, inappropriate, or unsatisfactory.
      You're afineone to talkabout laziness.
      Here's anotherfinemess you've gotten us into.
      • 1936,“A Fine Romance”, in Dorothy Fields (lyrics), Jerome Kern (music),Swing Time(musical film):
        Afineromance, with no kisses,
        Afineromance, my friend, this is;
        We should be like a couple of hot tomatoes,
        But you're as cold as yesterday's mashed potatoes.
      Synonym:hell of a
    3. (informal)Being acceptable, adequate, passable, or satisfactory.
      How are you today? –Fine.
      Will this one do? It's got a dent in it. – Yeah, it'll befine,I guess.
      It'sfinewith me if you stay out late, so long as you're back by three.
      • 2016December 20, Katie Rife, “Passengers strains the considerable charms of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence”, inThe Onion AV Club‎[2],archived fromthe originalon23 April 2018:
        On the surface, everything isfine.The sleek, futuristic spaceship setting isfine(if a little cold), the acting isfine(or better thanfine,in Lawrence’s case), the music isfine,the lighting isfine,the editing, the camerawork—allfine.
      • 1897December (indicated as1898),Winston Churchill,chapter III, inThe Celebrity: An Episode,New York, N.Y.:The Macmillan Company;London:Macmillan & Co., Ltd.,→OCLC:
        Now all this was veryfine,but not at all in keeping with the Celebrity's character as I had come to conceive it. The idea that adulation ever cloyed on him was ludicrous in itself. In fact I thought the whole story fishy, and came very near to saying so.
      Synonyms:all right,ok,o.k.,okay,hunky-dory,kosher
    4. (informal)Good-looking, attractive.
      That man is sofinethat I'd jump into his pants without a moment's hesitation.
      • 1918,W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell,chapter X, inThe Mirror and the Lamp,Indianapolis, Ind.:The Bobbs-Merrill Company,→OCLC:
        It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces werefineand mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers.
    5. Subtle,delicatelybalanced ordiscriminated.
      • 2018,James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, inEnglish World-Wide‎[3],page 7:
        In any case, Feinsilver’s nomenclatural suggestions andfinedistinctions did not enjoy widespread adoption.
    6. (obsolete)Showy;overdecorated.
      • 1853,Matthew Arnold,Preface toThe Poems of Matthew Arnold
        They will permit the poet to select any action he pleases, and to suffer that action to go as it will, provided he gratifies them with occasional bursts offinewriting
    7. Delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; dexterous.
    8. An answer often used to cover an unnecessary explanation, rather to avoid conflict or an argument. Saying "I'm fine" can be used to avoid inquiry when the speaker is not really okay.
      Do you want to talk about what happened? – [sharply, with annoyance or discomfort] I'm fine!
  2. Senses referring to objective quality.
    1. Of a particular grade of quality, usually betweenvery goodandvery fine,and belowmint.
      The small scratch meant that his copy of “X-Men #2” was merelyfinewhen it otherwise would have been “near mint”.
    2. (of weather)Sunny and not raining.
      • 1918,W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell,chapter XXIII, inThe Mirror and the Lamp,Indianapolis, Ind.:The Bobbs-Merrill Company,→OCLC:
        If the afternoon wasfinethey strolled together in the park, very slowly, and with pauses to draw breath wherever the ground sloped upward. The slightest effort made the patient cough.
    3. Consisting of especiallyminuteparticulates;made up of particularly small pieces.
      Grind it into afinepowder.
      When she touched the artifact, it collapsed into a heap offinedust.
      Synonyms:fine-grained,powdered,powdery,pulverised,pulverized,small-grained
      Antonym:coarse
    4. Particularly slender; especially thin, narrow, or of small girth.
      The threads were sofinethat you had to look through a magnifying glass to see them.
    5. Made of slender or thin filaments.
      They protected themselves from the small parasites with afinewire mesh.
      Synonym:fine-threaded
      Antonym:coarse
    6. Having a (specified) proportion of pure metal in its composition.
      Coins nine tenthsfine.
  3. (cricket)Behind thebatsmanand at a smallangleto the line between thewickets.
    […]to nudge it through the covers (or tickle it down tofineleg) for a four[…]
  4. (obsolete)Subtle; thin; tenuous.
    • 1627(indicated as1626),Francis [Bacon],“(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”,inSylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries.[…],London:[…]William Rawley[…];[p]rinted by J[ohn]H[aviland]for William Lee[…],→OCLC:
      The eye standeth in thefinermedium and the object in the grosser.
Derived terms
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See below.

Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Adverb

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fine(comparativemorefine,superlativemostfine)

  1. Expression of (typically) reluctant or agreement.
    Synonyms:all right,alright,OK,very well
  2. Well,nicely,in a positive, agreeable way.
    Everything worked outfine.
  3. (dated,dialect,colloquial)Finely; elegantly; delicately.
  4. (pool,billiards)In a manner so that the driven ball strikes the object ball so far to one side as to be barely deflected, the object ball being driven to one side.
Translations
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Noun

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fine(pluralfines)

  1. Fine champagne;Frenchbrandy.
    • 1926,Ernest Hemingway,The Sun Also Rises,Scribner, published2003,page14:
      We had dined at l'Avenue's, and afterward went to the Café de Versailles for coffee. We had severalfinesafter the coffee, and I said I must be going.
    • 1928,Jean Rhys,Quartet,Penguin, published2000,page34:
      ‘Darling,’ Lois told her, ‘don't get depressed. Have anotherfine.’
    • 1936,Djuna Barnes,Nightwood,Faber & Faber, published2007,page18:
      He refilled his glass. ‘Thefineis very good,’ he said.
  2. (usually in theplural)Something that is fine; fine particles.
    They filtered silt andfinesout of the soil.
Usage notes
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Particularly used in plural asfinesof ground coffee beans inespressomaking.

See also
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Verb

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fine(third-person singular simple presentfines,present participlefining,simple past and past participlefined)

  1. (transitive)To make finer, purer, or cleaner; to purify or clarify.
    tofinegold
    • 1666(written),1681(published),Thomas Hobbes,A Dialogue between a Philosopher and a Student of the Common Laws of England
      It hath beenfinedand refined by[…]learned men.
  2. (intransitive)To become finer, purer, or cleaner.
  3. To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.
    • 1913,Liberty Hyde Bailey,The Practical Garden Book:
      The tools to be used for this surface tillage are those that comminute orfinethe soil most completely without compacting it or leaving it in ridges or in furrows
  4. To change by fine gradations.
    tofinedown a ship's lines, i.e. to diminish her lines gradually
  5. (transitive)Toclarify(wineandbeer) byfiltration.
  6. (intransitive,dated)To become gradually fine; to diminish; to dwindle (withaway,down,oroff).
    • 1882,William Clark Russell,My Watch Below:
      I watched her [the ship][…]graduallyfiningdown in the westward until I lost sight of her hull.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Terms derived fromfine- etymology 1
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Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Etymology 2

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FromMiddle Englishfyn,fyne,fromOld Frenchfin,fromMedieval Latinfīnis(“a payment in settlement or tax”).Doubletoffinandfinis.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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fine(pluralfines)

  2. Afeelevied aspunishmentfor breaking the law.
    Thefinefor jay-walking has gone from two dollars to thirty in the last fifteen years.
    • 2006,Edwin Black,chapter 2, inInternal Combustion‎[4]:
      The popular late Middle Ages fictional character Robin Hood, dressed in green to symbolize the forest, dodgedfinesfor forest offenses and stole from the rich to give to the poor. But his appeal was painfully real and embodied the struggle over wood.
  3. (obsolete)Money paid by a tenant on the commencement of a tenancy so that their rent may be small or nominal.
  4. (Cambridge Universityslang)A drink that must be taken during amealor as part of adrinking game,following an announcement that anyone who has done some (usually outrageous) deed is to be fined; similar toI have never;commonly associated withswaps;very similar to asconceatOxford University,though a fine is the penalty itself rather than the act of issuing it.
    Fineif you've…
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Descendants
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  • →Swahili:faini
Translations
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Verb

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fine(third-person singular simple presentfines,present participlefining,simple past and past participlefined)

  2. (transitive)To issue a fine as punishment to (someone).
    She wasfineda thousand dollars for littering, but she appealed.
  3. (intransitive)To pay a fine.
    • 1818,Henry Hallam,View of the State of Europe during the Middle Ages:
      Menfinedfor the king's good will; or that he would remit his anger; womenfinedfor leave to marry.
Synonyms
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Translations
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Etymology 3

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FromItalianfine(“end”).Frenchfin.Doubletoffinandfinis.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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fine(pluralfines)

  1. (music)The end of a musical composition.
  2. (music)The location in a musical score that indicates the end of the piece, particularly when the piece ends somewhere in the middle of the score due to a section of the music being repeated.
Usage notes
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This word is virtually never used in speech and therefore essentially confined to musical notation.

Derived terms
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Etymology 4

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FromMiddle Englishfinen,fynen,fromOld Frenchfiner,finir.Seefinish(transitive verb).

Verb

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fine(third-person singular simple presentfines,present participlefining,simple past and past participlefined)

  1. (obsolete,intransitive)Tofinish;tocease.
  2. (obsolete,transitive)To cause to cease; tostop.

Noun

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fine(pluralfines)

  1. (obsolete)End; conclusion; termination; extinction.
  2. (feudal law)A final agreement concerning lands or rents between persons, as the lord and his vassal.
    • 1523,Anthony Fitzherbert,The Boke of Surveying and Improvements:
      To cause them to pay more rent or a gretterfynethan they haue ben acustomed to do in tyme past.
  3. (UK,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.

References

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Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition ofWebster’s Dictionary,which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for“fine”,inWebster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary,Springfield, Mass.:G. & C. Merriam,1913,→OCLC.)

Anagrams

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Asturian

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Verb

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fine

  1. first/third-personsingularpresentsubjunctiveoffinar

Classical Gaelic

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Etymology

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FromOld Irishfine.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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finemorf

  1. afamily,atribe,anation

Declension

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TheIGTii §1 inflection patterns derive fromio-stem andiā-stem inflections.

The extended plurals derive fromd-stem inflections.

fine, m. or f., IGT ii §1
Case/Number Singular m. Singular f. Dual Plural
Nominative an fine an fhine dá fhine na fine
na fineadha*
Vocative a fhine a fhine N/A a fhine
a fhineadha*
Accusative gan an bhfine gan an bhfine gan dá fhine gan na fine
gan na fineadha*
Genitive an fhine na fine dá fhine na bhfine
na bhfineadh*
Dative don fhine don fhine do dhá fhine dona finibh
dona fineadhaibh*

† non-bardic form (condemned in the tracts aslochtach)
‡ anomalous form (canamhain)
* extended plural (iollradh ard)

Further reading

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Danish

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Adjective

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fine

  1. pluralanddefinitesingularattributiveoffin

Esperanto

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Pronunciation

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Adverb

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fine

  1. finally,at last;at the end
  2. inthefinalanalysis,whenall'ssaidanddone

French

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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fine

  1. femininesingularoffin

Noun

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finef(pluralfines)

  1. (typography)thin space,non-breakable space
  2. a number of high grade Frenchbrandies(usuallyAOCcertified)

Further reading

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Futuna-Aniwa

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Noun

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fine

  1. woman,female(of any sort)
    fine fau―young woman
    tiana fine―his wife
    tiona fine―his daughter
    fine riki―mistress

References

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  • Arthur Capell,Futuna-Aniwa Dictionary, with Grammatical Introduction(1984)

Galician

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Verb

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fine

  1. inflection offinar:
    1. first/third-personsingularpresentsubjunctive
    2. third-personsingularimperative

Ido

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Pronunciation

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Adverb

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fine

  1. finally

Irish

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Etymology

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FromOld Irishfine,fromProto-Celtic*wenyā(“family”),fromProto-Indo-European*wenh₁-(“desire”);compareOld Englishwine(“friend”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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finef(genitive singularfine,nominative pluralfinte)

  1. familygroup
    1. race
    2. territoryof a family group

Declension

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Declension offine

Fourth declension

Bare forms

Case Singular Plural
Nominative fine finte
Vocative afhine afhinte
Genitive fine finte
Dative fine finte

Forms with thedefinite article

Case Singular Plural
Nominative anfhine nafinte
Genitive nafine nabhfinte
Dative leis anbhfine

donfhine

leis nafinte

Derived terms

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Mutation

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Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
fine fhine bhfine
Note:Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

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Italian

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Etymology

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FromLatinfīnis.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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fine(pluralfini)

  1. thin
    Synonym:sottile
  2. fine
  3. refined
    Synonym:elegante

Derived terms

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Adjective

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fine

  1. femininepluraloffino

Noun

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finef(pluralfini)

  1. end
    Synonyms:conclusione,finale,termine
    Antonyms:inizio,principio

Noun

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finem(pluralfini)

  1. aim,purpose,end
    Synonyms:scopo,obiettivo
    ilfinegiustifica i mezzi―theendsjustify the means
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Anagrams

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Latin

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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fīne

  1. ablativesingularoffīnis

References

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  • “fine”,inCharlton T. Lewis (1891)An Elementary Latin Dictionary,New York: Harper & Brothers

Manx

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Etymology

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FromOld Irishfaigen(“sheath, scabbard”),fromLatinvāgīna.Cognate withIrishfaighinandScottish Gaelicfaighean.

Noun

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finem(genitive singularfine,pluralfineyn)

  1. quiver
  2. sheath,scabbard
    Synonym:laan
  3. (anatomy)vagina
    Synonyms:pihtt,pitt

Synonyms

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Mutation

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Manx mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
fine ine vine
Note:Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

North Frisian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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FromOld Frisianfinda,fromProto-West Germanic*finþan.Cognates includeWest Frisianfine.

Verb

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fine

  1. (Mooring)tofind

Conjugation

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Conjugation offine(Mooringdialect)
infinitive I fine
infinitive II (tu) finen
infinitive III änfin
past participle fünen
imperative fin
present past
1st-person singular fin fün
2nd-person singular fanst fünst
3rd-person singular fant fün
plural fine fünen
perfect pluperfect
1st-person singular hääwfünen häifünen
2nd-person singular häästfünen häistfünen
3rd-person singular heetfünen häifünen
plural hääwefünen häinfünen
future (schale) future (wårde)
1st-person singular schalfine wårdfine
2nd-person singular schäätfine wårstfine
3rd-person singular schalfine wårtfine
plural schanfine wårdefine

Norwegian Bokmål

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Adjective

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fine

  1. definitesingularoffin
  2. pluraloffin

Norwegian Nynorsk

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Adjective

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fine

  1. definitesingularoffin
  2. pluraloffin

Old Irish

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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FromProto-Celtic*wenyā.

Noun

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finef

  1. family,kin,groupof people of commondescent
  2. clan,tribe,race
Inflection
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Feminine iā-stem
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative fineL finiL fini
Vocative fineL finiL fini
Accusative finiN finiL fini
Genitive fine fineL fineN
Dative finiL finib finib
Initial mutations of a following adjective:
  • H= triggers aspiration
  • L= triggers lenition
  • N= triggers nasalization
Descendants
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Mutation

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Old Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Nasalization
fine ḟine fine
pronounced with/β(ʲ)-/
Note:Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

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Etymology 2

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See the etymology of the correspondinglemmaform.

Noun

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fine

  1. Lenited form ofsine.

Mutation

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Old Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Nasalization
sine phine,fine unchanged
Note:Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Portuguese

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Pronunciation

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  • Hyphenation:fi‧ne

Verb

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fine

  1. inflection offinar:
    1. first/third-personsingularpresentsubjunctive
    2. third-personsingularimperative

Romanian

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Etymology

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BorrowedfromItalianfine,and partlyFrenchfin.

Noun

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finef(uncountable)

  1. (literary)end
    Synonym:sfârșit

Derived terms

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Spanish

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key):/ˈfine/[ˈfi.ne]
  • Rhymes:-ine
  • Syllabification:fi‧ne

Verb

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fine

  1. inflection offinar:
    1. first/third-personsingularpresentsubjunctive
    2. third-personsingularimperative
  2. inflection offinir:
    1. third-personsingularpresentindicative
    2. second-personsingularimperative

Swedish

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Adjective

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fine

  1. definitenatural masculinesingularoffin

West Frisian

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Etymology

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FromOld Frisianfinda,fromProto-West Germanic*finþan.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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fine

  1. tofind
  2. to decide that, to form the opinion that
    Ikfyndyn freon moai.―Ifindyour friend nice.

Inflection

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Strong class 3
infinitive fine
3rd singular past fûn
past participle fûn
infinitive fine
long infinitive finen
gerund finenn
auxiliary hawwe
indicative present tense past tense
1st singular fyn fûn
2nd singular fynst fûnst
3rd singular fynt fûn
plural fine fûnen
imperative fyn
participles finend fûn

Further reading

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  • “fine (I)”,inWurdboek fan de Fryske taal(in Dutch),2011
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