adj., n., adv., & v.
adj. 1 of high quality. 2 a excellent; of notable merit (a fine painting). b good, satisfactory (that will be fine). c fortunate (has been a fine thing for him). d well conceived or expressed (a fine saying). 3 a pure, refined. b (of gold or silver) containing a specified proportion of pure metal. 4 of handsome appearance or size; imposing, dignified (fine buildings; a person of fine presence). 5 in good health (I'm fine, thank you). 6 (of weather etc.) bright and clear with sunshine; free from rain. 7 a thin; sharp. b in small particles. c worked in slender thread. d (esp. of print) small. e (of a pen) narrow-pointed. 8 Cricket behind the wicket and near the line of flight of the ball. 9 tritely complimentary; euphemistic (say fine things about a person; call things by fine names). 10 ornate, showy, smart. 11 fastidious, dainty, pretending refinement; (of speech or writing) affectedly ornate. 12 a capable of delicate perception or discrimination. b perceptible only with difficulty (a fine distinction). 13 a delicate, subtle, exquisitely fashioned. b (of feelings) refined, elevated. 14 (of wine or other goods) of a high standard; conforming to a specified grade.
n. 1 fine weather (in rain or fine). 2 (in pl.) very small particles in mining, milling, etc.
adv. 1 finely. 2 colloq. very well (suits me fine).
v. 1 (often foll. by down) a tr. make (beer or wine) clear. b intr. (of liquid) become clear. 2 tr. & intr. (often foll. by away, down, off) make or become finer, thinner, or less coarse; dwindle or taper, or cause to do so. cut (or run) it fine allow very little margin of time etc. fine arts those appealing to the mind or to the sense of beauty, as poetry, music, and esp. painting, sculpture, and architecture. fine chemicals see CHEMICAL. fine-draw sew together (two pieces of cloth, edges of a tear, parts of a garment) so that the join is imperceptible. fine-drawn 1 extremely thin. 2 subtle. fine print detailed printed information, esp. in legal documents, instructions, etc. fine-spun 1 delicate. 2 (of a theory etc.) too subtle, unpractical. fine-tooth comb a comb with narrow close-set teeth. fine-tune make small adjustments to (a mechanism etc.) in order to obtain the best possible results. fine up Austral. colloq. (of the weather) become fine. go over with a fine-tooth comb check or search thoroughly. not to put too fine a point on it (as a parenthetic remark) to speak bluntly. finely adv. fineness n.
[ ME f. OF fin ult. f. L finire finish ]