final

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈfaɪ.nᵊl/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English finalle, borrowed from Old French final (“final, last”) and directly borrowed from Late Latin fīnālis (“of or pertaining to an end”),^[2][3][4] from fīnis (“boundary, end”).^[2][3][5] Merriam-Webster suggests that fīnis may be akin to fīgere (“to fix, fasten”).^[6] It is related to finish, finis and finial.^[3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Last, coming at the end: before 1338, in Mannyng's Chronicle of England.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

Finally is from the 14th century.^[8] The noun, “that which comes last”, is from the late 14th century^[2] or 1609.^[9] A final letter, at the end of a word, is recorded from 1530.^[10] Finality is found once in 1541 but became current only in the early 19th century.^[8][3] The final contest in a sport and the final examination of a course are both from 1880.^[2] A finalist was a believer in final causes in 1883, and a competitor in a final from 1898.^[3] Finalize is Australian, from 1922.^[3]

Timeline

• before 1338 – last (Mannyng).^[3]
• late 14th century – noun.^[2]
• 1530 – a final letter.^[10]
• 1880 – a sporting final; a final examination.^[2]
• 1898 – finalist, a competitor.^[3]
• 1922 – finalize.^[3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Coming at the end; last.
2. Being the end result; ultimate.
3. Not to be changed or reconsidered; conclusive.

Noun

1. The last of a series of contests, which decides the winner.
2. The last examination of an academic course.

Word family

• finally
• cofinal
• finalise
• finalism
• finality
• pseudofinal
• finalist
• quarterfinal

Related words

• finale
• fine
• finish
• finite
• finis
• finial

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
8. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
10. ^ a b Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)