fine English · revision 3554

+ English has two main words spelled ''fine'', both going back to Latin ''fīnis'', “end”, but by different routes: the adjective “of high quality” and the noun “money penalty”.^(AHD 2000)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /faɪn/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ {{homograph|1|of high quality}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1250 (Genesis and Exodus)|origins=la fīnis}}

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The adjective is [[inh|enm|fin]], [[bor|fro|fin|t=perfected, of the highest quality]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002) from [[la|fīnis|t=boundary, limit, end]] in the sense “acme, height”, as in [[m|la|fīnis bonī|t=the highest good]] and [[m|la|fīnis honōrum|t=the highest of honours]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) Hoad, the SOED and the COED instead derive the French word from a Romance [[m|la-vul|*fīnus]], based on [[m|la|fīnīre|t=to finish]],^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002)^(COED 2004)^(Klein 1966) and Etymonline allows both.^(Etymonline) Barnhart notes that several Romance languages developed this use (Spanish and Portuguese [[m|es|fino]], Italian [[m|it|fino]]), and that it passed into the Germanic languages.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Free from blemish, refined, pure: about 1250, in ''The Story of Genesis and Exodus'',^(Barnhart 1988) or the mid-13th century;^(Etymonline) the OED's first example of “of superior quality” is from before 1300.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ By about 1300 the word meant “rich, costly”, and in a moral sense “true, faithful”.^(Etymonline) Of metals, “free from dross”, it is from before 1300,^(OED 1989) and of gold or silver containing a set proportion of pure metal from 1594.^(OED 1989) Of liquids, “clear”, it is from 1481.^(OED 1989) From the late 14th century it meant “skilfully made” and “delicate, subtle”,^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) and Hoad dates “handsome, excellent” to the 14th century, “elegant” to the 16th, and fine weather to the 18th.^(Hoad 1986) Consisting of very small particles is from 1425.^(HTOED) Of dress, “showy, elegant”, is from 1526.^(HTOED) The verb “to refine, make pure”, from the adjective, is from the 14th century;^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002) it is now used of clearing beer and wine.^(SOED 2002) ''Fine arts'' and the ironic use (''a fine mess'') are later developments.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1250 – free from blemish, pure.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1300 – rich, costly; faithful.^(Etymonline)

+ * 14th century – handsome, excellent; verb, to refine.^(Hoad 1986)

+ * 1425 – of small particles.^(HTOED)

+ * 1481 – of liquids, clear.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1526 – of dress, elegant.^(HTOED)

+ * 1594 – of gold or silver, of a given purity.^(OED 1989)

+ * 18th century – of weather, fair.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Of superior quality, skill or appearance.^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)

+ # Very small, thin or slender.^(AHD)

+ # Free from impurities; of metal, containing a stated proportion of pure metal.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+ # Consisting of very small particles; not [[coarse]].^(AHD)^(HTOED)

+ # Showing delicate artistry or [[subtle|alt=subtlety]].^(AHD)^(Hoad 1986)

+ # Very sharp or keen: ''a fine edge''.^(AHD)

+ # Of weather, fair and clear.^(AHD)^(Hoad 1986)

+ # Satisfactory; in good health: ''I'm fine''.^(AHD)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Finely; very well.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To make or become finer, purer or clearer.^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[finely]]

+ * [[fineness]]

+ * [[finery]]

+ * [[finesse]]

+ * [[refine]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|money penalty}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1200|origins=la fīnis}}

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The penalty is [[inh|enm|fin|t=end, conclusion]], [[bor|fro|fin|t=end, limit; death; payment, finance]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(SOED 2002) from [[la|fīnis|t=end]], which in Medieval Latin also meant a sum paid in settlement of a lawsuit.^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)^(Hoad 1986)^(COED 2004) It is related to [[finish]], [[final]] and [[finance]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Klein 1966)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ End, conclusion, also the end of life: about 1200,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) a sense that survives only in the phrase ''in fine'', “in short”.^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A final agreement or settlement of a lawsuit is from the 13th century,^(Hoad 1986) as are phrases such as ''make fine'', “to make one's peace, settle a matter”.^(Etymonline) A sum of money paid for exemption from punishment or as compensation is from the mid-14th century, after the same sense in Anglo-French.^(Etymonline) Barnhart explains the payment sense from a settlement that ended a dispute, and so served as its conclusion,^(Barnhart 1988) and the sense “money paid as a penalty for an offence” is first recorded about 1399^(Barnhart 1988) or 1430.^(HTOED) The verb meant “to pay as a ransom or penalty” in the late 13th century,^(Etymonline) and the inverted sense “to punish with a fine” is from the 1550s^(Etymonline) or 1559.^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1200 – end, termination.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 13th century – the settlement of a suit.^(Hoad 1986)

+ * late 13th century – verb, to pay as a penalty.^(Etymonline)

+ * mid-14th century – a payment for exemption or compensation.^(Etymonline)

+ * c. 1399 – a money penalty.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1559 – verb, to impose a fine on.^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A sum of money required as a [[penalty]] for an offence.^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)

+ # ''(law)'' A friendly settlement of a lawsuit over land.^(AHD)^(HTOED)

+ # ''(archaic)'' An end, as in the phrase ''in fine''.^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To make someone pay a fine.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[finable]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[final]]

+ * [[finite]]

+ * [[finance]]

+ * [[finish]]

+ * [[finale]]

+ * [[confine]]

+ * [[define]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In music, Italian ''fine'', “end”, marks where a piece ends after a repeat, recorded in English from about 1798.^(MW Collegiate)^(MWU 2024)^(AHD 2000) French ''fine'' is a brandy, short for ''fine champagne'', from the early 20th century.^(SOED 2002)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}