Etymologically
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finio

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈfiː.ni.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈfiː.ni.o][1]

Forms

fīniō (present infinitive fīnīre, perfect active fīnīvī or fīniī, supine fīnītum); fourth conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin fīnis (“boundary, limit”) + -iō.[2][3] The origin of fīnis is disputed: Walde and Hofmann reconstruct *fīg-s-ni- “something driven in”, a boundary stone or pole; others connect a root *bʰiH- “to strike”, or Proto-Germanic *baina- “bone, leg”, perhaps once an upright boundary mark.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Varro,[4] who uses it of a place for augury marked out with set words.[2] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense was to mark out the boundaries of a territory, and of things, to form the end of something in space.[2] From this it meant to fix the limits of an empire, to limit or restrict in time or scope, to lay down a number or date, and to define or describe.[2] Above all it came to mean to put an end to, to finish, as Caesar says the war could have been finished that day, and intransitively to come to an end.[2][1]

It survives in Italian finire and Old French fenir, whose stem finiss- gave English finish in the late 14th century.[1][6]

Timeline

  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of marking out a sacred precinct.[2][5]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar says the Rhine bounds the empire of the Roman people.[7][5]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar says the war could have been finished in a day.[2][5]
  • late 14th century – English finish is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To mark out the boundaries of.[2]
  2. To form the end of; to end (at a point).[2]
  3. To fix the limits of; to limit, restrict.[2]
  4. To lay down, appoint (a number or date).[2][1]
  5. To define, describe.[2]
  6. To put an end to, finish, (intransitive) to come to an end.[2][1]

Word family

  • dēfīniō
  • effīnītus
  • fīnītiō
  • fīnītīvus
  • fīnītor
  • īnfīnītus
  • praefiniō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press