fine

Etymology 1

From Middle English fin, fyn, from Old French fin (“fine, minute, exact”), of obscure origin, but probably derived from Latin fīnīre (“to finish”) and/or fīnis (“boundary, limit, end”), with an abstract sense of "fine" or "thin" also arising in many Romance languages (compare Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian fino). Doublet of fino.

adj

1. Senses referring to subjective quality.
   1. Of superior quality.
      The tree frog that they encountered was truly a fine specimen.
      Only a really fine wine could fully complement Lucía's hand-made pasta.
      "That's a fine young fellow," said the historiographer of earwigs, to an American who stood next him in the crowd. 1856, L. S. Lavenu, chapter XVII, in Erlesmere; or, Contrasts of Character, volume 1, London: Smith, Elder & Co., page 171
   2. (ironic) Impressively bad, inappropriate, or unsatisfactory.
      You're a fine one to talk about laziness.
      Here's another fine mess you've gotten us into.
      A fine romance, with no kisses, A fine romance, my friend, this is; We should be like a couple of hot tomatoes, But you're as cold as yesterday's mashed potatoes. 1936, “A Fine Romance”, in Dorothy Fields (lyrics), Jerome Kern (music), Swing Time (musical film)
   3. (informal) Being acceptable, adequate, passable, or satisfactory.
      How are you today? – Fine.
      Will this one do? It's got a dent in it. – Yeah, it'll be fine, I guess.
      It's fine with me if you stay out late, so long as you're back by three.
      On the surface, everything is fine. The sleek, futuristic spaceship setting is fine (if a little cold), the acting is fine (or better than fine, in Lawrence’s case), the music is fine, the lighting is fine, the editing, the camerawork—all fine. 2016-12-20, Katie Rife, “Passengers strains the considerable charms of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence”, in The Onion AV Club
   4. (informal) Good-looking, attractive.
      That man is so fine that I'd jump into his pants without a moment's hesitation.
   5. Subtle, delicately balanced or discriminated.
      In any case, Feinsilver’s nomenclatural suggestions and fine distinctions did not enjoy widespread adoption. 2018, James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, in English World-Wide, page 7
   6. (obsolete) Showy; overdecorated.
      1853, Matthew Arnold, Preface to The Poems of Matthew Arnold They will permit the poet to select any action he pleases, and to suffer that action to go as it will, provided he gratifies them with occasional bursts of fine writing
   7. Delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; dexterous.
      The nicest and most delicate touches of satire consist in fine raillery. c. 1692, John Dryden, Discourse on Satire
      He has as fine a hand at picking a pocket as a woman. 1728, John Gay, The Beggar's Opera
   8. An answer often used to cover an unnecessary explanation, rather to avoid conflict or an argument. Saying "I'm fine" can be used to avoid inquiry when the speaker is not really okay.
      Do you want to talk about what happened? – [sharply, with annoyance or discomfort] I'm fine!
2. Senses referring to objective quality.
   1. Of a particular grade of quality, usually between very good and very fine, and below mint.
      The small scratch meant that his copy of “X-Men #2” was merely fine when it otherwise would have been “near mint”.
   2. (of weather) Sunny and not raining.
   3. Consisting of especially minute particulates; made up of particularly small pieces.
      Grind it into a fine powder.
      When she touched the artifact, it collapsed into a heap of fine dust.
   4. Particularly slender; especially thin, narrow, or of small girth.
      The threads were so fine that you had to look through a magnifying glass to see them.
   5. Made of slender or thin filaments.
      They protected themselves from the small parasites with a fine wire mesh.
   6. Having a (specified) proportion of pure metal in its composition.
      Coins nine tenths fine.
3. (cricket) Behind the batsman and at a small angle to the line between the wickets.
   […]to nudge it through the covers (or tickle it down to fine leg) for a four[…]
4. (obsolete) Subtle; thin; tenuous.

adv

1. Expression of (typically) reluctant or agreement.
2. Well, nicely, in a positive, agreeable way.
   Everything worked out fine.
3. (dated, dialect, colloquial) Finely; elegantly; delicately.
4. (pool, billiards) In a manner so that the driven ball strikes the object ball so far to one side as to be barely deflected, the object ball being driven to one side.

noun

1. Fine champagne; French brandy.
   We had dined at l'Avenue's, and afterward went to the Café de Versailles for coffee. We had several fines after the coffee, and I said I must be going. 1926, Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises, Scribner, published 2003, page 14
   ‘Darling,’ Lois told her, ‘don't get depressed. Have another fine.’ 1928, Jean Rhys, Quartet, Penguin, published 2000, page 34
   He refilled his glass. ‘The fine is very good,’ he said. 1936, Djuna Barnes, Nightwood, Faber & Faber, published 2007, page 18
2. (usually in the plural) Something that is fine; fine particles.
   They filtered silt and fines out of the soil.

verb

1. (transitive) To make finer, purer, or cleaner; to purify or clarify.
   to fine gold
   1666 (written), 1681 (published), Thomas Hobbes, A Dialogue between a Philosopher and a Student of the Common Laws of England It hath been fined and refined by […] learned men.
2. (intransitive) To become finer, purer, or cleaner.
3. To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.
   The tools to be used for this surface tillage are those that comminute or fine the soil most completely without compacting it or leaving it in ridges or in furrows 1913, Liberty Hyde Bailey, The Practical Garden Book
4. To change by fine gradations.
   to fine down a ship's lines, i.e. to diminish her lines gradually
5. (transitive) To clarify (wine and beer) by filtration.
6. (intransitive, dated) To become gradually fine; to diminish; to dwindle (with away, down, or off).
   I watched her [the ship] […] gradually fining down in the westward until I lost sight of her hull. 1882, William Clark Russell, My Watch Below

Etymology 2

From Middle English fyn, fyne, from Old French fin, from Medieval Latin finis (“a payment in settlement or tax”). Doublet of finis.

noun

1. A fee levied as punishment for breaking the law.
   The fine for jay-walking has gone from two dollars to thirty in the last fifteen years.
   The popular late Middle Ages fictional character Robin Hood, dressed in green to symbolize the forest, dodged fines for forest offenses and stole from the rich to give to the poor. But his appeal was painfully real and embodied the struggle over wood. 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 2, in Internal Combustion
2. (obsolete) Money paid by a tenant on the commencement of a tenancy so that his or her rent may be small or nominal.
3. (Cambridge University slang) A drink that must be taken during a meal or as part of a drinking game, following an announcement that anyone who has done some (usually outrageous) deed is to be fined; similar to I have never; commonly associated with swaps; very similar to a sconce at Oxford University, though a fine is the penalty itself rather than the act of issuing it.
   Fine if you've…

verb

1. (transitive) To issue a fine as punishment to (someone).
   She was fined a thousand dollars for littering, but she appealed.
2. (intransitive) To pay a fine.
   Men fined for the king's good will; or that he would remit his anger; women fined for leave to marry. 1818, Henry Hallam, View of the State of Europe during the Middle Ages

Etymology 3

From Italian fine (“end”). French fin.

noun

1. (music) The end of a musical composition.
2. (music) The location in a musical score that indicates the end of the piece, particularly when the piece ends somewhere in the middle of the score due to a section of the music being repeated.

Etymology 4

From Middle English finen, fynen, from Old French finer, finir. See finish (transitive verb).

verb

1. (obsolete, intransitive) To finish; to cease.
2. (obsolete, transitive) To cause to cease; to stop.

noun

1. (obsolete) End; conclusion; termination; extinction.
2. (feudal law) A final agreement concerning lands or rents between persons, as the lord and his vassal.
   To cause them to pay more rent or a gretter fyne than they haue ben acustomed to do in tyme past. 1523, Anthony Fitzherbert, The Boke of Surveying and Improvements
3. (UK, law) A sum of money or price paid for obtaining a benefit, favor, or privilege, as for admission to a copyhold, or for obtaining or renewing a lease.