finalis

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [fiːˈnaː.lɪs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [fiˈnaː.lis]^[1]

Forms

fīnālis (neuter fīnāle); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin fīnis (“end, boundary”) + -ālis.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Apuleius.^[4] Köbler dates him about 125–175 AD.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The TLL says it belongs to later Latin, and Lewis & Short call it post-classical.^[3][5] It first meant concerned with boundaries, as the jurists' boundary disputes, and Macrobius and Chalcidius call the horizon the circulus finalis, the bounding circle.^[2][5][6]

It also meant at the end, final: grammarians speak of the final letter or syllable, Augustine of final happiness, and Donatus of what is decisive.^[6][5][7] Medieval Latin used it of what is ultimate, of the last syllable, of boundaries and of land belonging to an estate.^[8][9] English final came from Old French and Late Latin in the early 14th century.^[10]

Timeline

• c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it.^[4]
• 1st half of the 5th century AD – Macrobius calls the horizon circulus finalis.^[5][4]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine speaks of final happiness.^[5][4]
• early 14th century – English final is recorded.^[10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of or concerning boundaries.^[2][1]
2. Bounding, circulus finalis, the horizon.^[6][7]
3. (Late Latin) Of the end, final, last; decisive.^[5][1]

Word family

• fīnālitās
• rīvifīnālis

Related words

• fīniēns
• fīniō
• fīnis
• fīnitimus
• fīnītiō
• fīnītīvus
• fīnītor
• fīnītus
• English final

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
8. ^ Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
9. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com