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fineness

[fahyn-nis]
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noun
  1. the state or quality of being fine.
  2. the proportion of pure precious metal in an alloy, often expressed in parts per thousand.

Origin of fineness

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at fine1, -ness
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for fineness

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • But the fineness of its quality makes of it an entirely different performance.

    The Forest

    Stewart Edward White

  • She had strong arms for it; he had seen her draw gold to the fineness of a hair.

    L'Assommoir

    Emile Zola

  • The wools of Germany are, in fineness and softness, much, superior to those of Spain.

  • The pattern should be large in proportion to the fineness of the material.

  • Davidson's fineness was real enough to alter the course of the steamer he commanded.

    Victory

    Joseph Conrad

British Dictionary definitions for fineness

fineness

noun
  1. the state or quality of being fine
  2. a measurement of the purity of precious metal, expressed as the number of parts per thousand that is precious metal
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012