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Added 9 October 2026

finish

/ˈfɪnɪʃ/ noun

In Latin: finis, terminus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about finish at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance).
the boat had a metallic finish
The temporal end; the concluding time.
the stopping point of each round was signaled by a bell
A highly developed state of perfection; having a flawless or impeccable quality.
they performed with great polish

verb

Come or bring to a finish or an end.
He finished the dishes
Finally be or do something.
He ended up marrying his high school sweetheart
Have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical.
the bronchioles terminate in a capillary bed

Origin

From Middle English finishen, finisshen, finischen, from Old French finiss-, stem of some of the conjugated forms of finir, from Latin fīnīre, from fīnis (“end, limit, border, boundary”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to stick, set up”) or from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“to split”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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