fin

nounverbnounnounnouncommon in dialogue

New Zealand//fən//
//fɪn//

One of the appendages of a fish, used to propel itself and to manoeuvre/maneuver.

noun

1
One of the appendages of a fish, used to propel itself and to manoeuvre/maneuver.
The fish's fins minimize water flow.
Then he commenced to talk, really talk. and inside of two flaps of a herring's fin he had me mesmerized, like Eben Holt's boy at the town hall show. He talked about the ills of humanity, and the glories of health and Nature and service and land knows what all.
2
A similar appendage of a cetacean or other marine animal.
a dolphin's fin
3
A thin, rigid component of an aircraft, extending from the fuselage and used to stabilise and steer the aircraft.
The fin stabilises the plane in flight.
4
A similar structure protruding from a projectile, used to help keep it on course.
5
A similar structure on the bottom of a surfboard, used to help steer it.
6
A hairstyle, resembling the fin of a fish, in which the hair is combed and set into a vertical ridge along the top of the head from about the crown to the forehead.
7
A device worn by divers and swimmers on their feet.
The divers wore fins to swim faster.
8
An extending part on a surface of a radiator, engine, heatsink, etc., used to facilitate cooling.
9
A sharp raised edge (generally in concrete) capable of damaging a roof membrane or vapor retarder.
10
The conning tower of a submarine.
11
obsoleteA person's hand.
"Done say I to that, Reuben, tip me your fin, my spark, and it shall be a bet."

Etymology

From Middle English fin, from Old English finn, from Proto-Germanic *finnō, *finǭ (“dorsal fin”) (compare Dutch vin, German Finne, Swedish finne, fena), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pīn- (“backbone, dorsal fin”) (compare Old Irish ind (“end, point”), Latin pinna (“feather, wing, fin”), Tocharian A spin (“hook”).

verb

1
To cut the fins from a fish, shark, etc.
2
(Of a fish) to swim with the dorsal fin above the surface of the water.
When you spot him finning just under the surface, you move up quietly and present [...] bait, usually a squid.
3
To swim in the manner of a fish.
A neutrally buoyant diver does not need to fin to maintain depth.
4
To provide (a motor vehicle etc) with fins.

noun

1
slanga five-pound (£5) note; the sum of five pounds.
2
datedA five-dollar bill; the sum of five dollars.

Etymology

From Yiddish פֿינף (finf, “five”). Doublet of cinque, finnuf, five, pimp (“five”), ponzu, punch (“beverage”), and sengi (“currency”).

noun

1
archaic"The end".
2
obsoleteDenotes the end of the road.

Etymology

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

noun

1
informalfinasteride

Etymology

Clipping of finasteride.

Forms

plural: fins
past tense: finned
past participle: finned
present participle: finning
third person singular: fins

Filter · A surname from German.filth · Dirt; foul matter; that which soils or defiles.filthy · Covered with filth; very dirty.

fin · One of the appendages of a fish, used to propel itself and to manoeuvre/maneuver.

Fin · commune in the Somme department in France final · A final examination; a test or examination given at the end…finale · The grand end of something, especially of a show or piece of…

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.