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finite

[ fahy-nahyt ]
/ ˈfaɪ naɪt /
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adjective

having bounds or limits; not infinite; measurable.
Mathematics.
  1. (of a set of elements) capable of being completely counted.
  2. not infinite or infinitesimal.
  3. not zero.
subject to limitations or conditions, as of space, time, circumstances, or the laws of nature: our finite existence on earth.

noun

something that is finite.

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Origin of finite

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

OTHER WORDS FROM finite

Words nearby finite

finishing school, finishing touch, finish line, Finistère, Finisterre, finite, finite clause, finite difference, finite-dimensional, finite intersection property, finitely additive function
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

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Words related to finite

limited, fixed, definite, restricted, bound, bounded, conditioned, confined, definable, exact, precise, specific, determinate, circumscribed, delimited, demarcated, terminable

Example sentences from the Web for finite

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)
  1. limited or restricted in naturehuman existence is finite
  2. (as noun)the finite
denoting any form or occurrence of a verb inflected for grammatical features such as person, number, and tense

Derived forms of finite

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

Scientific 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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