finite

[ fahy-nahyt ]

/ ˈfaɪ naɪt /

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adjective

having bounds or limits; not infinite; measurable.

Mathematics.

(of a set of elements) capable of being completely counted.
not infinite or infinitesimal.
not zero.

subject to limitations or conditions, as of space, time, circumstances, or the laws of nature: man's finite existence on earth.

noun

something that is finite.

Nearby words

finishing nail, finishing school, finishing touch, finisterre, finistère, finite, finite clause, finite decimal, finite difference, finite intersection property, finite state machine

Origin of finite

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin fīnītus, past participle of fīnīre to stop, limit. See fine¹, -ite²

SYNONYMS FOR finite

1 bounded, limited, circumscribed, restricted.

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Related forms

fi·nite·ly, adverbfi·nite·ness, nounnon·fi·nite, adjective, nounnon·fi·nite·ly, adverb

non·fi·nite·ness, nounsu·per·fi·nite, adjectivesu·per·fi·nite·ly, adverbsu·per·fi·nite·ness, nounun·fi·nite, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for finite

Many of the fuels we use to generate electricity —natural gas, oil, coal—are abundant yet finite.
Will Food Waste Power Your Home?|The Daily Beast|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The reservoir of settlement-related projects available for promotion is finite.
Netanyahu Must Rein in Extremists in Coalition, or Risk Derailing Peace Talks|Daniel Seidemann, Lara Friedman|August 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And they're wise to pursue this course, because the most finite resource in this discussion is land.
Don't Get Too Stressed About the Farm Bubble|Justin Green|April 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
For all practical purposes, the world's supply of oil is not finite.
Let's Pursue a New Version of 'Peak Oil'|David Frum|March 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST

We only have a finite amount of fresh H2o and food on the planet, there is no more.
Why I Choose to Be Child-Free: Readers Share Their Stories|Harry Siegel|February 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
That knowledge is directly revealed while we are apprehending any finite object, as its correlative and complementary antithesis.
British Quarterly Review, American Edition, Volume LIV|Various
To throw words like finite and infinite at such a Being is to make ourselves ridiculous.
Psychical Miscellanea|J. Arthur Hill
The finite person is an intellect, sensibility, and will; but these are circumscribed by innumerable limitations.
Know the Truth; A critique of the Hamiltonian Theory of Limitation|Jesse H. Jones
To the Buddhist, in short, the element of time and the finite is all, as to the Brahman the element of eternity is all.
Ten Great Religions|James Freeman Clarke
A finite event occupies a limited chunk of this manifold in a sense which I now proceed to explain.
The Concept of Nature|Alfred North Whitehead

British Dictionary definitions for finite

finite

/ (ˈfaɪnaɪt) /

adjective

bounded in magnitude or spatial or temporal extenta finite difference

maths logic having a number of elements that is a natural number; able to be counted using the natural numbers less than some natural numberCompare denumerable, infinite (def. 4)

limited or restricted in naturehuman existence is finite
(as noun)the finite

denoting any form or occurrence of a verb inflected for grammatical features such as person, number, and tense

Derived Forms

finitely, adverbfiniteness, noun

Word Origin for finite

C15: from Latin fīnītus limited, from fīnīre to limit, end

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

Science definitions for finite

finite

[ fī′nīt′ ]

Relating to a set that cannot be put into a one-to-one correspondence with any proper subset of its own members.

Relating to or being a numerical quantity describing the size of such a set.

Being a member of the set of real or complex numbers.

Being a quantity that is non-zero and not infinite.