fine

adj
/ˈfaɪ̯n/US/ˈfaːn//faɪn//ˈfiːneɪ/

Etymology

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.

  1. derived from fīniō — “to finish
  2. derived from fin — “fine, minute, exact
  3. inherited from fin

Definitions

  1. Senses referring to subjective quality.

    • The tree frog that they encountered was truly a fine specimen.
    • Only a really fine wine could fully complement Lucía's hand-made pasta.
    • "That's a fine young fellow," said the historiographer of earwigs, to an American who stood next him in the crowd.
  2. Senses referring to objective quality.

    • The small scratch meant that his copy of “X-Men #2” was merely fine when it otherwise would have been “near mint”.
  3. Behind the batsman and at a small angle to the line between the wickets.

    • […]to nudge it through the covers (or tickle it down to fine leg) for a four[…]
  4. + 27 more definitions
    1. Subtle

      Subtle; thin; tenuous.

      • The eye standeth in the finer medium and the object in the grosser.
    2. Well, nicely, in a positive, agreeable way.

      • Everything worked out fine.
    3. Finely

      Finely; elegantly; delicately.

    4. In a manner so that the driven ball strikes the object ball so far to one side as to be…

      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.

    5. Expression of (typically) reluctant or agreement.

    6. Expression of (typically) reluctant acceptance, without further argument or discussion,…

      Expression of (typically) reluctant acceptance, without further argument or discussion, of another person's viewpoint.

    7. Fine champagne

      Fine champagne; French brandy.

      • We had dined at l'Avenue's, and afterward went to the Café de Versailles for coffee. We had several fines after the coffee, and I said I must be going.
      • ‘Darling,’ Lois told her, ‘don't get depressed. Have another fine.’
      • He refilled his glass. ‘The fine is very good,’ he said.
    8. Something that is fine

      Something that is fine; fine particles.

      • They filtered silt and fines out of the soil.
    9. To make finer, purer, or cleaner

      To make finer, purer, or cleaner; to purify or clarify.

      • to fine gold
      • 1666 (written), 1681 (published), Thomas Hobbes, A Dialogue between a Philosopher and a Student of the Common Laws of England It hath been fined and refined by […] learned men.
    10. To become finer, purer, or cleaner.

    11. To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.

      • The tools to be used for this surface tillage are those that comminute or fine the soil most completely without compacting it or leaving it in ridges or in furrows
    12. To change by fine gradations.

      • to fine down a ship's lines, i.e. to diminish her lines gradually
      • I often sate at home On evenings, watching how they fined themselves With gradual conscience to a perfect night.
    13. To clarify (wine and beer) by filtration.

    14. To become gradually fine

      To become gradually fine; to diminish; to dwindle (with away, down, or off).

      • I watched her [the ship] […] gradually fining down in the westward until I lost sight of her hull.
    15. A fee levied as punishment for breaking the law.

      • The fine for jay-walking has gone from two dollars to thirty in the last fifteen years.
    16. Money paid by a tenant on the commencement of a tenancy so that their rent may be small…

      Money paid by a tenant on the commencement of a tenancy so that their rent may be small or nominal.

    17. A drink that must be taken during a meal or as part of a drinking game, following an…

      A drink that must be taken during a meal or as part of a drinking game, following an announcement that anyone who has done some (usually outrageous) deed is to be fined; similar to I have never; commonly associated with swaps; very similar to a sconce at Oxford University, though a fine is the penalty itself rather than the act of issuing it.

      • Fine if you've…
    18. To issue a fine as punishment to (someone).

      • She was fined a thousand dollars for littering, but she appealed.
    19. To pay a fine.

      • Men fined for the king's good will; or that he would remit his anger; women fined for leave to marry.
    20. The end of a musical composition.

    21. The location in a musical score that indicates the end of the piece, particularly when…

      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.

    22. To finish

      To finish; to cease.

    23. To cause to cease

      To cause to cease; to stop.

    24. End

      End; conclusion; termination; extinction.

      • And secret feare, to see their fatall fine
      • Is this the fine of his fines?
    25. A final agreement concerning lands or rents between persons, as the lord and his vassal.

      • To cause them to pay more rent or a gretter fyne than they haue ben acustomed to do in tyme past.
    26. A sum of money or price paid for obtaining a benefit, favor, or privilege, as for…

      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.

    27. A surname.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at fine. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01fine02objective03subjective04stimuli05stimulus06physiological07physiology08tissues09tissue

A definitional loop anchored at fine. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

9 hops · closes at fine

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA