fin1

[fin] /fɪn/
noun
1.
a membranous, winglike or paddlelike organ attached to any of various parts of the body of fishes and certain other aquatic animals, used for propulsion, steering, or balancing.
2.
Nautical.
  1. a horizontal, often adjustable, winglike appendage to the underwater portion of a hull, as one for controlling the dive of a submarine or for damping the roll of a surface vessel.
  2. fin keel.
3.
Also called vertical stabilizer. Aeronautics. any of certain small, subsidiary structures on an aircraft, designed to increase directional stability.
4.
any of a number of standing ridges on an ordinarily hot object, as a radiator, a cylinder of an internal-combustion engine, etc., intended to maximize heat transfer to the surrounding air by exposing a large surface area.
5.
any part, as of a mechanism, resembling a fin.
6.
Metallurgy. a ridge of metal squeezed through the opening between two rolls, dies, or halves of a mold in which a piece is being formed under pressure.
Compare flash (def 11).
7.
Automotive. an ornamental structure resembling an aeronautical fin that is attached to the body of an automobile, as on each rear fender (tail fin)
8.
Slang. the arm or hand.
9.
Usually, fins. flipper (def 2).
verb (used with object), finned, finning.
10.
to cut off the fins from (a fish); carve or cut up, as a chub.
11.
to provide or equip with a fin or fins.
verb (used without object), finned, finning.
12.
to move the fins; lash the water with the fins, as a whale when dying.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English, Old English finn; cognate with Dutch vin, Low German finne; akin to Swedish fena
Related forms
finless, adjective
finlike, adjective

fin2

[fin] /fɪn/
noun
1.
Slang. a five-dollar bill.
Origin
1865-70; earlier finnip, finnup, fin(n)if(f) a five-pound note < Yiddish fin(e)f five < Middle High German vumf, vimf; see five

Fin.

1.
Finland.
2.
Finnish.

fin.

1.
finance.
2.
financial.
3.
finish.

ad fin.

Latin.
1.
to, toward, or at the end.
Origin
ad fīnem
Examples from the web for fin
  • A dorsal fin is held erect by collagen, which normally hardens in late adolescence.
  • The dorsal fin is small, visible only briefly during the dive sequence.
  • The spiny first dorsal fin is normally folded back in a groove, as are its pectoral fins.
  • The two subspecies differ in color and size of their dorsal fin.
  • When adults are near spawning, they have purple blotchy streaks near the caudal fin.
  • The fin whale is usually distinguished by its great length and slender build.
  • The fin whale has a brownish grey top and sides and a whitish underside.
  • When the whale surfaces, the dorsal fin is visible soon after the spout.
  • Eventually, biologists demonstrated that the sounds were the vocalizations of fin whales.
  • Aquatic species have flattened tails, to act as a fin, aiding in swimming.
British Dictionary definitions for fin

fin1

/fɪn/
noun
1.
any of the firm appendages that are the organs of locomotion and balance in fishes and some other aquatic animals. Most fishes have paired and unpaired fins, the former corresponding to the limbs of higher vertebrates
2.
a part or appendage that resembles a fin
3.
  1. (Brit) a vertical surface to which the rudder is attached, usually placed at the rear of an aeroplane to give stability about the vertical axis US name vertical stabilizer
  2. a tail surface fixed to a rocket or missile to give stability
4.
(nautical) a fixed or adjustable blade projecting under water from the hull of a vessel to give it stability or control
5.
a projecting rib to dissipate heat from the surface of an engine cylinder, motor casing, or radiator
6.
(often pl) another name for flipper (sense 2)
verb fins, finning, finned
7.
(transitive) to provide with fins
8.
(transitive) to remove the fins from (a dead fish)
9.
(intransitive) (esp of a whale) to agitate the fins violently in the water
Derived Forms
finless, adjective
Word Origin
Old English finn; related to Middle Dutch vinne, Old Swedish fina, Latin pinna wing

fin2

/fɪn/
noun
1.
(US, slang) a five-dollar bill
Word Origin
from Yiddish finf five, ultimately from Old High German funf, finf

Fin

abbreviation
1.
Finland
2.
Finnish

FIN

abbreviation
1.
Finland (international car registration)

fin.

abbreviation
1.
finance
2.
financial
Word Origin and History for fin
n.

Old English finn, from Proto-Germanic *finno (cf. Middle Low German vinne, Dutch vin), perhaps from Latin pinna "feather, wing" (see pin (n.)); or, less likely, from Latin spina "thorn, spine" (see spike (n.1)).

U.S. underworld slang sense of "$5 bill" is 1925, from Yiddish finif "five," from German fünf (see five) and thus unrelated. The same word had been used in England 1868 to mean "five pound note" (earlier finnip, 1839).

fin in Science
fin
  (fĭn)   
One of the winglike or paddlelike parts of a fish, dolphin, or whale that are used for propelling, steering, and balancing in water.
Slang definitions & phrases for fin

fin 1

noun
  1. The hand: Reach out your fin and grab it
  2. The arm and hand (1840+)

fin 2

noun

A five-dollar bill; five dollars: I gave my pal a fin/ It was the fin seen round the world. Where Reagan got the five bucks is a mystery

[1920s+ Underworld; fr Yiddish finif, ''five'']


Related Abbreviations for fin

FIN

Finland (international vehicle ID)

fin.

  1. finance
  2. financial
  3. finish
  4. finished

Fin.

  1. Finland
  2. Finnish