FINAL

final, last

(adjective) not to be altered or undone; “the judge’s decision is final”; “the arbiter will have the last say”

concluding, final, last, terminal

(adjective) occurring at or forming an end or termination; “his concluding words came as a surprise”; “the final chapter”; “the last days of the dinosaurs”; “terminal leave”

final, last, net

(adjective) conclusive in a process or progression; “the final answer”; “a last resort”; “the net result”

final

(noun) the final match between the winners of all previous matches in an elimination tournament

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

final (plural finals)

(US, Canada) A final examination; a test or examination given at the end of a term or class; the test that concludes a class.

(sports) The last round, game or match in a contest, after which the winner is determined.

A contest that narrows a field of contestants (finalists) to ranked positions, usually in numbered places (1st place/prize, 2nd place/prize, etc.) or a winner and numbered runners-up (1st runner-up, etc.).

(phonology) The final part of a syllable, the combination of medial and rime in phonetics and phonology.

(music) The tonic or keynote of a Gregorian mode, and hence the final note of any conventional melody played in that mode.

Adjective

final (comparative more final, superlative most final)

Last; ultimate.

Conclusive; decisive.

Respecting an end or object to be gained; respecting the purpose or ultimate end in view.

(grammar) Expressing purpose; as in the term final clause.

(linguistics) Word-final, occurring at the end of a word.

Synonyms

• (last, ultimate): dernier (dated), endly, terminal

Antonyms

• initial

• early

• first

Anagrams

• alfin, flain

Source: Wiktionary


Fi"nal, a. Etym: [F., fr. L. finalis, fr. finis boundary, limit, end. See Finish.]

1. Pertaining to the end or conclusion; last; terminating; ultimate; as, the final day of a school term. Yet despair not of his final pardon. Milton.

2. Conclusive; decisive; as, a final judgment; the battle of Waterloo brought the contest to a final issue.

3. Respecting an end or object to be gained; respecting the purpose or ultimate end in view. Final cause. See under Cause.

Syn.

– Final, Conclusive, Ultimate. Final is now appropriated to that which brings with it an end; as, a final adjustment; the final judgment, etc. Conclusive implies the closing of all discussion, negotiation, etc.; as, a conclusive argument or fact; a conclusive arrangement. In using ultimate, we have always reference to something earlier or proceeding; as when we say, a temporary reverse may lead to an ultimate triumph. The statements which a man finally makes at the close of a negotiation are usually conclusive as to his ultimate intentions and designs.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

22 February 2025

ANALYSIS

(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ‘the father of the bride’ instead of ‘the bride’s father’


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Coffee Trivia

The earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking as the modern beverage appeared in modern-day Yemen. In the middle of the 15th century in Sufi shrines where coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed for drinking. The Yemenis procured the coffee beans from the Ethiopian Highlands.

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