- fine
- fine fine (f[imac]n), a. [Compar. {finer} (f[imac]n"[~e]r);
superl. {finest}.] [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.
[1913 Webster]
The gain thereof [is better] than fine gold. --Prov. iii. 14. [1913 Webster]
A cup of wine that's brisk and fine. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
Not only the finest gentleman of his time, but one of the finest scholars. --Felton. [1913 Webster]
To soothe the sick bed of so fine a being [Keats]. --Leigh Hunt. [1913 Webster]
2. Aiming at show or effect; loaded with ornament; overdressed or overdecorated; showy. [1913 Webster]
He gratified them with occasional . . . fine writing. --M. Arnold. [1913 Webster]
3. Nice; delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; skillful; dexterous. [1913 Webster]
The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine! --Pope. [1913 Webster]
The nicest and most delicate touches of satire consist in fine raillery. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
He has as fine a hand at picking a pocket as a woman. --T. Gray. [1913 Webster]
4. Not coarse, gross, or heavy; as: (a) Not gross; subtile; thin; tenous. [1913 Webster]
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. [1913 Webster]
5. Having (such) a proportion of pure metal in its composition; as, coins nine tenths fine. [1913 Webster]
6. (Used ironically.) [1913 Webster]
Ye have made a fine hand, fellows. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
Note: Fine is often compounded with participles and adjectives, modifying them adverbially; a, fine-drawn, fine-featured, fine-grained, fine-spoken, fine-spun, etc. [1913 Webster]
{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}.
Usage: 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. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
