fine 1
(fīn)adj. fin·er,
fin·est 1. a. Of superior quality, skill, or appearance: a fine day; a fine wine.
b. Excellent in character or ability: a fine person; a fine writer.
2. Very small in size, weight, or thickness: fine type; fine paper.
3. a. Free from impurities.
b. Metallurgy Containing pure metal in a specified proportion or amount: gold 21 carats fine.
4. Very sharp; keen: a blade with a fine edge.
5. Thin; slender: fine hairs.
6. Carefully or delicately made or done:
fine china. See Synonyms at
exquisite.
7. Consisting of very small particles; not coarse: fine dust.
8. a. Marginally different or subtle: a fine difference.
b. Able to make or detect effects of great subtlety or precision; sensitive: has a fine eye for color.
9. Trained to the highest degree of physical efficiency: a fine racehorse.
10. Characterized by refinement or elegance: people in the finest society.
11. Satisfactory; acceptable: Handing in your paper on Monday is fine.
12. Being in a state of satisfactory health; quite well: "How are you?" "I'm fine."
13. Used as an intensive: a fine mess.
adv.1. Finely.
2. Informal Very well: doing fine.
tr. & intr.v. fined,
fin·ing,
fines To make or become finer, purer, or cleaner.
[Middle English fin, from Old French, from Latin fīnis, end, supreme degree.]
fine′ness n.
fine 2
(fīn)n.1. A sum of money required to be paid especially to the government as a penalty for an offense.
2. Obsolete An end; a termination.
tr.v. fined,
fin·ing,
fines To require the payment of a fine from; impose a fine on.
Idiom: in fine1. In conclusion; finally.
2. In summation; in brief.
[Middle English fin, from Old French, settlement, compensation, from Medieval Latin fīnis, from Latin, end.]
fin′a·ble, fine′a·ble adj.
fi·ne 3
(fē′nā)
[Italian, from Latin fīnis, end.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
finable
(ˈfaɪnəbəl) or fineable
ˈfinableness, ˈfineableness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014