I. ˈfin noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English finne, finn, from Old English finn; akin to Middle Low German & Middle Dutch vinne fin, Middle High German vinne nail, Old Swedish fina fin, Latin spina thorn, spine — more at spine
1. : a membranous process resembling a wing or a paddle in fishes and certain other aquatic animals that is used in propelling, balancing, or guiding the body
2. : something resembling a fin especially in appearance or function:
a. : a sharp plate or projection used as the colter of a plow
b. : hand , arm
c.
(1) : an appendage of a boat (as a submarine) ; also : fin keel
(2) : a fixed or adjustable airfoil attached to an airplane approximately parallel to the vertical plane of symmetry to afford directional stability
(3) : one of a pair of usually slender projections at the rear of an automobile or other vehicle usually consisting of an extension of the fender line or an upsweep above the fender line and intended to ornament or to provide added stability in motion — called also tail fin
d. : flipper 1b — usually used in plural
e. : a ridge or piece of excess metal left along the edge of a casting where metal overflows the mold, at the edges of the groove when rolling with grooved rolls, around the parting line of a drop forging, or on a welded joint ; also : a piece of excess material (as plastic or glass) left along the edge of a casting where the material overflows the mold
f.
(1) : a thin sheet of metal squeezed out between the collars of the rolls in rolling or through the joints of a mold
(2) : any of the projecting ribs on a radiator or internal-combustion engine cylinder
g. : feather key , spline
h. : a thin wall or panel used for screening of light or interruption of a view
II. verb
( finned ; finned ; finning ; fins )
intransitive verb
1. : to show the fins above the water : break water — used of fish
the fish is often sighted finning near the surface — I.N.Gabrielson
2. : to propel oneself through the water on the back using the hands alone in a finning motion while the arms remain at the sides
transitive verb
: to construct or equip with fins — usually used as past participle
the cylinder head and barrel are heavily finned for strength — Principles of Automotive Vehicles
short- finned
steam is condensed in a finned coil — Mech. Engineering
III. adjective
: relating to a plow colter shaped like a fin
IV.
variant of fen
V. ˈfin noun
( -s )
Etymology: Yiddish finf five, from Middle High German vumf, vimf, from Old High German funf, finf — more at five
slang : a five-dollar bill
you owe me a fin already — Chandler Brossard
VI. abbreviation
1. finance; financial
2. finis
3. finish; finished