fine

fine

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of fine in English

English Online Dictionary. What means fine‎? What does fine mean?

English

Etymology 1

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 Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian fino). Doublet of fino.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /faɪn/
  • Rhymes: -aɪn
  • (Tasmanian) IPA(key): /fæːn/

Adjective

fine (comparative finer, superlative finest)

  1. Senses referring to subjective quality.
    1. Of superior quality.
      Synonyms: good, excellent
    2. (ironic) Impressively bad, inappropriate, or unsatisfactory.
      Synonym: hell of a
    3. (informal) Being acceptable, adequate, passable, or satisfactory.
      Synonyms: all right, ok, o.k., okay, hunky-dory, kosher
    4. (informal) Good-looking, attractive.
    5. Subtle, delicately balanced or discriminated.
    6. (obsolete) Showy; overdecorated.
      • 1853, Matthew Arnold, Preface to The 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 of fine writing
    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.
  2. Senses referring to objective quality.
    1. Of a particular grade of quality, usually between very good and very fine, and below mint.
    2. (of weather) Sunny and not raining.
    3. Consisting of especially minute particulates; made up of particularly small pieces.
      Synonyms: fine-grained, powdered, powdery, pulverised, pulverized, small-grained
      Antonym: coarse
    4. Particularly slender; especially thin, narrow, or of small girth.
    5. Made of slender or thin filaments.
      Synonym: fine-threaded
      Antonym: coarse
    6. Having a (specified) proportion of pure metal in its composition.
  3. (cricket) Behind the batsman and at a small angle to the line between the wickets.
  4. (obsolete) Subtle; thin; tenuous.
Derived terms

See below.

Translations

Adverb

fine (comparative more fine, superlative most fine)

  1. Synonyms: all right, alright, OK, very well
  2. Well, nicely, in a positive, agreeable way.
    Everything worked out fine.
  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

Interjection

fine

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

Noun

fine (plural fines)

  1. Fine champagne; French brandy.
  2. (usually in the plural) Something that is fine; fine particles.
Usage notes

Particularly used in plural as fines of ground coffee beans in espresso making.

See also
  • filing

Verb

fine (third-person singular simple present fines, present participle fining, simple past and past participle fined)

  1. (transitive) 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.
  2. (intransitive) To become finer, purer, or cleaner.
  3. To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.
  4. To change by fine gradations.
    to fine down a ship's lines, i.e. to diminish her lines gradually
  5. (transitive) To clarify (wine and beer) by filtration.
  6. (intransitive, dated) To become gradually fine; to diminish; to dwindle (with away, down, or off).
Synonyms
  • (to make or become finer, purer, or cleaner): clarify, refine, purify
Derived terms
Related terms
  • (clarify by filtration): finings
Related terms
  • final
  • finite
Translations

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /faɪn/

Noun

fine (plural fines)

  2. A fee levied as punishment for breaking the law.
  3. (obsolete) Money paid by a tenant on the commencement of a tenancy so that their rent may be small or nominal.
  4. (Cambridge University slang) 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…
Synonyms
  • amercement
Derived terms
Descendants
  • → Swahili: faini
Translations

Verb

fine (third-person singular simple present fines, present participle fining, simple past and past participle fined)

  2. (transitive) To issue a fine as punishment to (someone).
  3. (intransitive) To pay a fine.
Synonyms
  • amerce
Derived terms
Translations

Related terms

  • finance

Etymology 3

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

Pronunciation

  • enPR: fē'nā, IPA(key): /ˈfiːneɪ/

Noun

fine (plural fines)

  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

This word is virtually never used in speech and therefore essentially confined to musical notation.

Derived terms
  • da capo al fine=D.C. al fine

Etymology 4

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

Verb

fine (third-person singular simple present fines, present participle fining, simple past and past participle fined)

  1. (obsolete, intransitive) To finish; to cease.
  2. (obsolete, transitive) To cause to cease; to stop.

Noun

fine (plural fines)

  1. (obsolete) End; conclusion; termination; extinction.
  2. (feudal law) A final agreement concerning lands or rents between persons, as the lord and his vassal.
  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

  • “fine”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

  • Enif, Fein, NiFe, feni, ifen, neif, nief, nife

Asturian

Verb

fine

  1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive of finar

Classical Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish fine.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɸʲinʲə/

Noun

fine m or f

  1. a family, a tribe, a nation

Declension

The IGT ii §1 inflection patterns derive from io-stem and iā-stem inflections.

The extended plurals derive from d-stem inflections.

Further reading

  • Osborn Bergin (1916) “Irish Grammatical Tracts II (Declension, a)”, in Ériu, volume 8, Supplement, Royal Irish Academy, →DOI, →JSTOR, §1, page 37
  • Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 fine”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
  • Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927) “fine”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society
  • Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “fine”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
  • Damian McManus (1994) “An Nua-Ghaeilge Chlasaiceach”, in K. McCone, D. McManus, C. Ó Háinle, N. Williams, L. Breatnach, editors, Stair na Gaeilge: in ómós do P[h]ádraig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish), Maynooth: Roinn na Sean-Ghaeilge, Coláiste Phádraig, →ISBN, §4.13, page 370

Danish

Adjective

fine

  1. plural and definite singular attributive of fin

Esperanto

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfine/
  • Rhymes: -ine
  • Hyphenation: fi‧ne

Adverb

fine

  1. finally, at last; at the end
  2. in the final analysis, when all's said and done

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fin/
  • Rhymes: -in

Adjective

fine

  1. feminine singular of fin

Noun

fine f (plural fines)

  1. (typography) thin space, non-breakable space
  2. a number of high grade French brandies (usually AOC certified)

Further reading

  • “fine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Futuna-Aniwa

Noun

fine

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

References

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

Galician

Verb

fine

  1. inflection of finar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Ido

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfine/

Adverb

fine

  1. finally

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish fine, from Proto-Celtic *wenyā (“family”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“desire”); compare Old English wine (“friend”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfʲɪnʲə/

Noun

fine f (genitive singular fine, nominative plural finte)

  1. family group
    1. race
    2. territory of a family group

Declension

Derived terms

  • Fine Gael

Mutation

Further reading

  • Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “fine”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
  • de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “fine”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
  • “fine”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025

Italian

Etymology

From Latin fīnis.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfi.ne/
  • Rhymes: -ine
  • Hyphenation: fì‧ne

Adjective

fine (plural fini)

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

Derived terms

  • finemente

Adjective

fine

  1. feminine plural of fino

Noun

fine f (plural fini)

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

Noun

fine m (plural fini)

  1. aim, purpose, end
    Synonyms: scopo, obiettivo
    il fine giustifica i mezzi ― the ends justify the means

Related terms

Anagrams

  • Enif, enfi, feni, nife

Latin

Pronunciation

  • (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /ˈfiː.ne/, [ˈfiːnɛ]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈfi.ne/, [ˈfiːne]

Noun

fīne

  1. ablative singular of fīnis

References

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

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish faigen (“sheath, scabbard”), from Latin vāgīna. Cognate with Irish faighin and Scottish Gaelic faighean.

Noun

fine m (genitive singular fine, plural fineyn)

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

Synonyms

  • cuinnag

Mutation

North Frisian

Alternative forms

  • finj (Föhr-Amrum, Sylt)

Etymology

From Old Frisian finda, from Proto-West Germanic *finþan. Cognates include West Frisian fine.

Verb

fine

  1. (Mooring) to find

Conjugation

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

fine

  1. definite singular of fin
  2. plural of fin

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

fine

  1. definite singular of fin
  2. plural of fin

Old Irish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈɸʲinʲe]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *wenyā.

Noun

fine f

  1. family, kin, group of people of common descent
  2. clan, tribe, race
Inflection
Descendants
  • Irish: fine

Mutation

Further reading

  • Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “fine”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

fine

  1. Lenited form of sine.

Mutation

Portuguese

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: fi‧ne

Verb

fine

  1. inflection of finar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian fine, and partly French fin.

Noun

fine f (uncountable)

  1. (literary) end
    Synonym: sfârșit

Derived terms

  • în fine

Spanish

Pronunciation

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

Verb

fine

  1. inflection of finar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative
  2. inflection of finir:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Swedish

Adjective

fine

  1. definite natural masculine singular of fin

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian finda, from Proto-West Germanic *finþan.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfinə/

Verb

fine

  1. to find
  2. to decide that, to form the opinion that
    Ik fyn dyn freon moai. ― I find your friend nice.

Inflection

Further reading

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

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