Dictionary
fine
Pronunciation: (fīn), [key]
—adj., fin•er, fin•est,
—adv., v., fined, fin•ing,
—n.
—
adj.
1. of superior or best quality; of high or highest grade:
fine wine.
2. choice, excellent, or admirable:
a fine painting.
3. consisting of minute particles:
fine sand; a fine purée.
4. very thin or slender:
fine thread.
5. keen or sharp, as a tool:
Is the knife fine enough to carve well?
6. delicate in texture; filmy:
fine cotton fabric.
7. delicately fashioned:
fine tracery.
8. highly skilled or accomplished:
a fine musician.
9. trained to the maximum degree, as an athlete.
10. characterized by or affecting refinement or elegance:
a fine lady.
11. polished or refined:
fine manners.
12. affectedly ornate or elegant:
A style so fine repels the average reader.
13. delicate or subtle:
a fine distinction.
14. bright and clear:
a fine day; fine skin.
15. healthy; well:
In spite of his recent illness, he looks fine.
16. showy or smart; elegant in appearance:
a bird of fine plumage.
17. good-looking or handsome:
a fine young man.
18. (of a precious metal or its alloy) free from impurities or containing a large amount of pure metal:
fine gold; Sterling silver is 92.5 percent fine.
—
adv.
1. Informal.in an excellent manner; very well:
He did fine on the exams. She sings fine.
2. very small:
She writes so fine I can hardly read it.
3. Billiards, Pool.in such a way that the driven ball barely touches the object ball in passing.
4. Naut.as close as possible to the wind:
sailing fine.
5. cut fine, to calculate precisely, esp. without allowing for possible error or accident:
To finish in ten minutes is to cut it too fine.
—
v.i.
1. to become fine or finer, as by refining.
2. to become less, as in size or proportions; reduce; diminish (often fol. by
down):
The plumpness fines down with exercise.
—
v.t.
1. to make fine or finer, esp. by refining or pulverizing.
2. to reduce the size or proportions of (often used with
down or
away):
to fine down the heavy features; to fine away superfluous matter in a design.
3. to clarify (wines or spirits) by filtration.
—
n.
fines,
a. Mining.crushed ore sufficiently fine to pass through a given screen. Cf.
short (def. 37a).
b. Agric.the fine bits of corn kernel knocked off during handling of the grain.
fine
Pronunciation: (fīn), [key]
—n., v., fined, fin•ing.
—
n.
1. a sum of money imposed as a penalty for an offense or dereliction:
a parking fine.
2. Law.a fee paid by a feudal tenant to the landlord, as on the renewal of tenure.
3. Eng. Law.(formerly) a conveyance of land through decree of a court, based upon a simulated lawsuit.
4. Archaic.a penalty of any kind.
5. in fine,
a. in short; briefly.
b. in conclusion; finally:
It was, in fine, a fitting end to the story.
—
v.t.
to subject to a fine or pecuniary penalty; punish by a fine:
The judge fined him and released him on parole. fi•ne
Pronunciation: (fē'nā), [key]—
n. Music.
1. the end of a repeated section, whether
da capo or
dal segno.
2. the end of a composition that comprises several movements.
fine
Pronunciation: (fēn), [key]—
n.
ordinary French brandy, usually with no indication of the maker's name or location.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
