FINE
fine
(adjective) characterized by elegance or refinement or accomplishment; “fine wine”; “looking fine in her Easter suit”; “a fine gentleman”; “fine china and crystal”; “a fine violinist”; “the fine hand of a master”
fine
(adjective) minutely precise especially in differences in meaning; “a fine distinction”
fine
(adjective) free from impurities; having a high or specified degree of purity; “gold 21 carats fine”
fine
(adjective) of textures that are smooth to the touch or substances consisting of relatively small particles; “wood with a fine grain”; “fine powdery snow”; “fine rain”; “batiste is a cotton fabric with a fine weave”; “covered with a fine film of dust”
fine
(adjective) thin in thickness or diameter; “a fine film of oil”; “fine hairs”; “read the fine print”
finely, fine, delicately, exquisitely
(adverb) in a delicate manner; “finely shaped features”; “her fine drawn body”
fine, mulct, amercement
(noun) money extracted as a penalty
ticket, fine
(verb) issue a ticket or a fine to as a penalty; “I was fined for parking on the wrong side of the street”; “Move your car or else you will be ticketed!”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Adjective
fine (comparative finer, superlative finest)
Senses referring to subjective quality.
Of superior quality.
(informal) Being acceptable, adequate, passable, or satisfactory.
(informal) Good-looking, attractive.
Subtle, delicately balanced or discriminated.
(obsolete) Showy; overdecorated.
Delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; dexterous.
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.
Senses referring to objective quality.
Of a particular grade of quality, usually between very good and very fine, and below mint.
(of weather) Sunny and not raining.
Consisting of especially minute particulate; made up of particularly small pieces.
Particularly slender; especially thin, narrow, or of small girth.
Made of slender or thin filaments.
Having a (specified) proportion of pure metal in its composition.
(cricket) Behind the batsman and at a small angle to the line between the wickets.
(obsolete) Subtle; thin; tenuous.
Synonyms
• (of superior quality): good, excellent
• (of acceptable quality, informal): (being acceptable, adequate, passable, or satisfactory): all right, ok, o.k, okay, hunky-dory, kosher
• (made up of particularly small pieces): fine-grained, powdered, powdery, pulverised, pulverized, small-grained
• (made of slender or thin filaments): fine-threaded
Antonyms
• (made up of particularly small pieces): coarse
• (made of slender or thin filaments): coarse
Adverb
fine (comparative more fine, superlative most fine)
Expression of (typically) reluctant agreement.
Well, nicely, in a positive way.
(dated, dialect, colloquial) Finely; elegantly; delicately.
(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.
Synonyms
• (expression of agreement) all right, alright, OK, very well
Noun
fine (plural fines)
Fine champagne; French brandy.
(usually, in the plural) Something that is fine; fine particles.
Usage notes
Particularly used in plural as fines of ground coffee beans in espresso making.
Verb
fine (third-person singular simple present fines, present participle fining, simple past and past participle fined)
(transitive) To make finer, purer, or cleaner; to purify or clarify.
(intransitive) To become finer, purer, or cleaner.
To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.
To change by fine gradations.
(transitive) To clarify (wine and beer) by filtration.
(intransitive, dated) To become gradually fine; to diminish; to dwindle (with away, down, or off).
Synonyms
• (to make or become finer, purer, or cleaner): clarify, refine, purify
Etymology 2
Noun
fine (plural fines)
A fee levied as punishment for breaking the law.
Synonyms
• amercement
Verb
fine (third-person singular simple present fines, present participle fining, simple past and past participle fined)
(transitive) To issue a fine as punishment to (someone).
(intransitive) To pay a fine.
Synonyms
• amerce
Etymology 3
Noun
fine (plural fines)
(music) The end of a musical composition.
(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.
Usage notes
This word is virtually never used in speech and therefore essentially confined to musical notation.
Etymology 4
Verb
fine (third-person singular simple present fines, present participle fining, simple past and past participle fined)
(obsolete, intransitive) To finish; to cease.
(obsolete, transitive) To cause to cease; to stop.
Noun
fine (plural fines)
(obsolete) End; conclusion; termination; extinction.
A final agreement concerning lands or rents between persons, as the lord and his vassal.
(UK, legal) 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.
Anagrams
• Enif, Fein, NiFe, feni, ifen, neif, nief, nife
Proper noun
Fine (plural Fines)
A surname.
Statistics
• According to the 2010 United States Census, Fine is the 3097th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 11618 individuals. Fine is most common among White (91.71%) individuals.
Anagrams
• Enif, Fein, NiFe, feni, ifen, neif, nief, nife
Source: Wiktionary
Fine, a. [Compar. Finer; superl. Finest.] Etym: [F. fin, LL. finus
fine, pure, fr. L. finire to finish; cf. finitus, p.p., finished,
completed (hence the sense accomplished, perfect.) See Finish, and
cf. Finite.]
1. Finished; brought to perfection; refined; hence, free from
impurity; excellent; superior; elegant; worthy of admiration;
accomplished; beautiful.
The gain thereof [is better] than fine gold. Prov. iii. 14.
A cup of wine that's brisk and fine. Shak.
Not only the finest gentleman of his time, but one of the finest
scholars. Felton.
To soothe the sick bed of so fine a being [Keats]. Leigh Hunt.
2. Aiming at show or effect; loaded with ornament; overdressed or
overdecorated; showy.
He gratified them with occasional . . . fine writing. M. Arnold.
3. Nice; delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; skillful; dexterous.
The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine! Pope.
The nicest and most delicate touches of satire consist in fine
raillery. Dryden.
He has as fine a hand at picking a pocket as a woman. T. Gray.
4. Not coarse, gross, or heavy; as:
(a) Not gross; subtile; thin; tenous.
The eye standeth in the finer medium and the object in the grosser.
Bacon.
(b) Not coarse; comminuted; in small particles; as, fine sand or
flour.
(c) Not thick or heavy; slender; filmy; as, a fine thread.
(d) Thin; attenuate; keen; as, a fine edge.
(e) Made of fine materials; light; delicate; as, fine linen or silk.
5. Having (such) a proportion of pure metal in its composition; as,
coins nine tenths fine.
6. (Used ironically.)
Ye have made a fine hand, fellows. Shak.
Note: Fine is often compounded with participles and adjectives,
modifying them adverbially; a, fine-drawn, fine-featured, fine-
grained, fine-spoken, fine-spun, etc. Fine arch (Glass Making), the
smaller fritting furnace of a glasshouse. Knight.
– Fine arts. See the Note under Art.
– Fine cut, fine cut tobacco; a kind of chewing tobacco cut up into
shreds.
– Fine goods, woven fabrics of fine texture and quality. McElrath.
– Fine stuff, lime, or a mixture of lime, plaster, etc., used as
material for the finishing coat in plastering.
– To sail fine (Naut.), to sail as close to the wind as possible.
Syn.
– Fine, Beautiful. When used as a word of praise, fine (being
opposed to coarse) denotes no "ordinary thing of its kind." It is not
as strong as beautiful, in reference to the single attribute implied
in the latter term; but when we speak of a fine woman, we include a
greater variety of particulars, viz., all the qualities which become
a woman, -- breeding, sentiment, tact, etc. The term is equally
comprehensive when we speak of a fine garden, landscape, horse, poem,
etc.; and, though applied to a great variety of objects, the word has
still a very definite sense, denoting a high degree of characteristic
excellence.
Fine, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fined; p. pr. & vb. n. Fining.] Etym: [From
Fine, a.]
1. To make fine; to refine; to purify, to clarify; as, to fine gold.
It hath been fined and refined by . . . learned men. Hobbes.
2. To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.; as. to
fine the soil. L. H. Bailey.
3. To change by fine gradations; as (Naut.), to fine down a ship's
lines, to diminish her lines gradually.
I often sate at home On evenings, watching how they fined themselves
With gradual conscience to a perfect night. Browning.
Fine, n. Etym: [OE. fin, L. finis end, also in LL., a final agreement
or concord between the lord and his vassal; a sum of money paid at
the end, so as to make an end of a transaction, suit, or prosecution;
mulct; penalty; cf. OF. fin end, settlement, F. fin end. See Finish,
and cf. Finance.]
1. End; conclusion; termination; extinction. [Obs.] "To see their
fatal fine." Spenser.
Is this the fine of his fines Shak.
2. A sum of money paid as the settlement of a claim, or by way of
terminating a matter in dispute; especially, a payment of money
imposed upon a party as a punishment for an offense; a mulct.
3. (Law)
(a) (Feudal Law) A final agreement concerning lands or rents between
persons, as the lord and his vassal. Spelman.
(b) (Eng. 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. Fine for alienation (Feudal Law), a sum of money
paid to the lord by a tenant whenever he had occasion to make over
his land to another. Burrill.
– Fine of lands, a species of conveyance in the form of a
fictitious suit compromised or terminated by the acknowledgment of
the previous owner that such land was the right of the other party.
Burrill. See Concord, n., 4.
– In fine, in conclusion; by way of termination or summing up.
Fine, v. t. Etym: [From Fine, n.]
Definition: To impose a pecuniary penalty upon for an offense or breach of
law; to set a fine on by judgment of a court; to punish by fine; to
mulct; as, the trespassers were fined ten dollars.
Fine, v. i.
Definition: To pay a fine. See Fine, n., 3 (b). [R.]
Men fined for the king's good will; or that he would remit his anger;
women fined for leave to marry. Hallam.
Fine, v. t. & i. Etym: [OF. finer, F. finir. See Finish, v. t.]
Definition: To finish; to cease; or to cause to cease. [Obs.]
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition