fin.
One of the appendages of a fish, used to propel itself and to manoeuvre/maneuver.
Meaning & usage
One of the appendages of a fish, used to propel itself and to manoeuvre/maneuver.
The fish's fins minimize water flow.
A similar appendage of a cetacean or other marine animal.
a dolphin's fin
A thin, rigid component of an aircraft, extending from the fuselage and used to stabilise and steer the aircraft.
The fin stabilises the plane in flight.
A similar structure protruding from a projectile, used to help keep it on course.
A similar structure on the bottom of a surfboard, used to help steer it.
A hairstyle, resembling the fin of a fish, in which the hair is combed and set into a vertical ridge along the top of the head from about the crown to the forehead.
A device worn by divers and swimmers on their feet.
The divers wore fins to swim faster.
An extending part on a surface of a radiator, engine, heatsink, etc., used to facilitate cooling.
A sharp raised edge (generally in concrete) capable of damaging a roof membrane or vapor retarder.
The conning tower of a submarine.
A person's hand.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English fin, from Old English finn, from Proto-Germanic *finnō, *finǭ (“dorsal fin”) (compare Dutch vin, German Finne, Swedish finne, fena), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pīn- (“backbone, dorsal fin”) (compare Old Irish ind (“end, point”), Latin pinna (“feather, wing, fin”), Tocharian A spin (“hook”).
To cut the fins from a fish, shark, etc.
(Of a fish) to swim with the dorsal fin above the surface of the water.
To swim in the manner of a fish.
A neutrally buoyant diver does not need to fin to maintain depth.
To provide (a motor vehicle etc) with fins.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English fin, from Old English finn, from Proto-Germanic *finnō, *finǭ (“dorsal fin”) (compare Dutch vin, German Finne, Swedish finne, fena), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pīn- (“backbone, dorsal fin”) (compare Old Irish ind (“end, point”), Latin pinna (“feather, wing, fin”), Tocharian A spin (“hook”).
a five-pound (£5) note; the sum of five pounds.
A five-dollar bill; the sum of five dollars.
Where this word comes from
From Yiddish פֿינף (finf, “five”). Doublet of cinque, finnuf, five, pimp (“five”), ponzu, punch (“beverage”), and sengi (“currency”).
"The end".
Denotes the end of the road.
Where this word comes from
From French fin (“end”). Doublet of fine and finis.
finasteride
Where this word comes from
Clipping of finasteride.
Try it on your idea.
fin has 3 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.
These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.
Explore the name generatorA word with a source.
Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.