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fin

UK/fɪn/ US/fən/ fairly common informal slang uk us
noun (6) verb (3)

noun

1.
2.

one of a pair of decorations projecting above the rear fenders of an automobile

Synonyms
3.

one of a set of parallel slats in a door or window to admit air and reject rain

Synonyms
4.

a shoe for swimming; the paddle-like front is an aid in swimming (especially underwater)

Synonyms
5.

a stabilizer that resembles the fins of a fish

6.

organ of locomotion and balance in fishes and some other aquatic animals

verb

1.

equip (a car) with fins

2.

propel oneself through the water in a finning motion

3.

show the fins above the water while swimming

  • “The sharks were finning near the surface”
Synonyms

Origin

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”).

Phrases

  • abdominal fin
  • adipose fin
  • anal fin
  • caudal fin
  • cephalic fin
  • dorsal fin
  • fin chop
  • fin de siècle
  • fin fold

Related words

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.