SYNONYMS | EXAMPLES | WORD ORIGIN 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.
Origin of finite 1375–1425; late Middle English <
Latin fīnītus, past participle of
fīnīre to stop, limit. See
fine1 ,
-ite2 Related forms fi·nite·ly , adverb fi·nite·ness , noun non·fi·nite , adjective, noun non·fi·nite·ly , adverb non·fi·nite·ness , noun su·per·fi·nite , adjective su·per·fi·nite·ly , adverb su·per·fi·nite·ness , noun un·fi·nite , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for finite limited ,
fixed ,
definite ,
restricted ,
bound ,
bounded ,
conditioned ,
confined ,
definable ,
exact ,
precise ,
specific ,
determinate ,
delimited ,
terminable Examples from the Web for finite Contemporary Examples of finite Many of the fuels we use to generate electricity —natural gas, oil, coal—are abundant yet finite .
The reservoir of settlement-related projects available for promotion is finite .
And they're wise to pursue this course, because the most finite resource in this discussion is land.
For all practical purposes, the world's supply of oil is not finite .
We only have a finite amount of fresh H2o and food on the planet, there is no more.
Historical Examples of finite Of the Infinite the finite mind can only catch a finite glimpse.
But we must not expect with our finite mind to comprehend the infinite God.
Man, finite and limited in capacity, could therefore never expiate it.
I do not mean that in Mary Osborne I had been worshipping the finite .
Conditions of its necessity.species of escape from all the finite objects about them.
British Dictionary definitions for finite adjective bounded in magnitude or spatial or temporal extent a 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 number Compare denumerable , infinite (def. 4) limited or restricted in nature human 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
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Derived Forms finitely , adverb finiteness , 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
Word Origin and History for finite adj. early 15c., from Latin finitus, past participle of finire "to limit, set bounds, end," from finis (see finish (v.)). Related: Finitely .
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
