fin

[ fin ]

/ fɪn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fin ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a membranous, winglike or paddlelike organ attached to any of various parts of the body of fishes and certain other aquatic animals, used for propulsion, steering, or balancing.

Nautical.

a horizontal, often adjustable, winglike appendage to the underwater portion of a hull, as one for controlling the dive of a submarine or for damping the roll of a surface vessel.
fin keel.

Also called vertical stabilizer. Aeronautics. any of certain small, subsidiary structures on an aircraft, designed to increase directional stability.

any of a number of standing ridges on an ordinarily hot object, as a radiator, a cylinder of an internal-combustion engine, etc., intended to maximize heat transfer to the surrounding air by exposing a large surface area.

any part, as of a mechanism, resembling a fin.

Metallurgy. a ridge of metal squeezed through the opening between two rolls, dies, or halves of a mold in which a piece is being formed under pressure.Compare flash(def 11).

Automotive. an ornamental structure resembling an aeronautical fin that is attached to the body of an automobile, as on each rear fender (tail fin).

Slang. the arm or hand.

Usually fins. flipper(def 2).

verb (used with object), finned, fin·ning.

to cut off the fins from (a fish); carve or cut up, as a chub.

to provide or equip with a fin or fins.

verb (used without object), finned, fin·ning.

to move the fins; lash the water with the fins, as a whale when dying.

Nearby words

Origin of fin

before 1000; Middle English, Old English finn; cognate with Dutch vin, Low German finne; akin to Swedish fena

Related formsfin·less, adjectivefin·like, adjective

Definition for fin (2 of 5)

fin

[ fin ]

/ fɪn /

noun

Slang. a five-dollar bill.

Origin of fin

1865–70; earlier finnip, finnup, fin(n)if(f) a five-pound note < Yiddish fin(e)f five < Middle High German vumf, vimf; see five

Definition for fin (3 of 5)

fin.

finance.

financial.

finish.

Definition for fin (4 of 5)

Fin.

Finland.

Finnish.

Definition for fin (5 of 5)

ad fin.

Latin.

to, toward, or at the end.

Origin of ad fin.

ad fīnem

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fin

“The annoying thing about life is that it screws up the production,” Fin muses.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Jan. 7, 2013|Mythili Rao|January 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He carried with him the insecurities, foibles, and morose visions of fin de siècle Europe.
How Sherlock Holmes Took on the Capitalists|Ian Klaus|December 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Fin had the trunk of a tree brought, three equal parts made of it, and one given to each of the men.
Myths and Folk Tales of Ireland|Jeremiah Curtin
Fin whales are probably the most numerous and widely distributed large whale species in the western North Atlantic.
Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic|Stephen Leatherwood

Fin Arnason proceeded to the town and had with him his house-servants, nearly eighty men.
Heimskringla|Snorri Sturlason
He had some thoughts of throwing himself overboard; but the fin of a shark gliding by turned him from his intention.
The Three Admirals|W.H.G. Kingston
Within five minutes after Bert finished his swim, the fin of a shark was cutting the surface in circles around the Snark.
The Cruise of the Snark|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for fin (1 of 5)

fin

/ (fɪn) /

noun

any of the firm appendages that are the organs of locomotion and balance in fishes and some other aquatic animals. Most fishes have paired and unpaired fins, the former corresponding to the limbs of higher vertebrates

a part or appendage that resembles a fin

British a vertical surface to which the rudder is attached, usually placed at the rear of an aeroplane to give stability about the vertical axisUS name: vertical stabilizer
a tail surface fixed to a rocket or missile to give stability

nautical a fixed or adjustable blade projecting under water from the hull of a vessel to give it stability or control

a projecting rib to dissipate heat from the surface of an engine cylinder, motor casing, or radiator

(often plural) another name for flipper (def. 2)

verb fins, finning or finned

(tr) to provide with fins

(tr) to remove the fins from (a dead fish)

(intr) (esp of a whale) to agitate the fins violently in the water

Derived Formsfinless, adjective

Word Origin for fin

Old English finn; related to Middle Dutch vinne, Old Swedish fina, Latin pinna wing

British Dictionary definitions for fin (2 of 5)

fin

/ (fɪn) /

noun

US slang a five-dollar bill

Word Origin for fin

from Yiddish finf five, ultimately from Old High German funf, finf

British Dictionary definitions for fin (3 of 5)

Fin

abbreviation for

Finland

Finnish

British Dictionary definitions for fin (4 of 5)

FIN

abbreviation for

Finland (international car registration)

British Dictionary definitions for fin (5 of 5)

fin.

abbreviation for

finance

financial

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

Word Origin and History for fin

fin

Old English finn, from Proto-Germanic *finno (cf. Middle Low German vinne, Dutch vin), perhaps from Latin pinna "feather, wing" (see pin (n.)); or, less likely, from Latin spina "thorn, spine" (see spike (n.1)).

U.S. underworld slang sense of "$5 bill" is 1925, from Yiddish finif "five," from German fünf (see five) and thus unrelated. The same word had been used in England 1868 to mean "five pound note" (earlier finnip, 1839).

Science definitions for fin

fin

[ fĭn ]

One of the winglike or paddlelike parts of a fish, dolphin, or whale that are used for propelling, steering, and balancing in water.

fin

noun

verb (used with object), finned, fin·ning.

verb (used without object), finned, fin·ning.

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Nearby words

Origin of fin

Definition for fin (2 of 5)

fin

noun

Origin of fin

Definition for fin (3 of 5)

fin.

Definition for fin (4 of 5)

Fin.

Definition for fin (5 of 5)

ad fin.

Latin.

Origin of ad fin.

Examples from the Web for fin

British Dictionary definitions for fin (1 of 5)

fin

noun

verb fins, finning or finned

Word Origin for fin

British Dictionary definitions for fin (2 of 5)

fin

noun

Word Origin for fin

British Dictionary definitions for fin (3 of 5)

Fin

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for fin (4 of 5)

FIN

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for fin (5 of 5)

fin.

abbreviation for

Word Origin and History for fin

fin

Science definitions for fin

fin