Part 18
Fil"o*plume (?), n. [L. filum a thread &?; pluma a soft feather.] (Zoˆl.) A hairlike feather; a father with a slender scape and without a web in most or all of its length.
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Fi"lose` (?), a. [L. filum a thread.] Terminating in a threadlike process.
Fil"ter (?), n. [F. filtre, the same word as feutre felt, LL. filtrum, feltrum, felt, fulled wool, this being used for straining liquors. See Feuter.] Any porous substance, as cloth, paper, sand, or charcoal, through which water or other liquid may passed to cleanse it from the solid or impure matter held in suspension; a chamber or device containing such substance; a strainer; also, a similar device for purifying air.
Filter bed, a pond, the bottom of which is a filter composed of sand gravel. -- Filter gallery, an underground gallery or tunnel, alongside of a stream, to collect the water that filters through the intervening sand and gravel; -- called also infiltration gallery.
Fil"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Filtered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Filtering] [Cf. F. filter. See Filter, n., and cf. Filtrate.] To purify or defecate, as water or other liquid, by causing it to pass through a filter.
Filtering paper, or Filter paper, a porous unsized paper, for filtering.
Fil"ter, v. i. To pass through a filter; to percolate.
Fil"ter, n. Same as Philter.
Filth (?), n. [OE. filthe, fule, AS. f&?;l, fr. fl foul; akin to OHG. flida. See Foul, and cf. File.] 1. Foul matter; anything that soils or defiles; dirt; nastiness.
2. Anything that sullies or defiles the moral character; corruption; pollution.
To purify the soul from the dross and filth of sensual delights.
Tillotson.
Filth disease (Med.), a disease supposed to be due to pollution of the soil or water.
Filth"i*ly (?), adv. In a filthy manner; foully.
Filth"i*ness, n. 1. The state of being filthy.
Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.
2 Cor. vii. 1.
2. That which is filthy, or makes filthy; foulness; nastiness; corruption; pollution; impurity.
Carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.
2 Chron. xxix. 5.
Filth"y (?), a. [Compar. Filthier (?); superl. Filthiest.] Defiled with filth, whether material or moral; nasty; dirty; polluted; foul; impure; obscene. "In the filthy-mantled pool." Shak.
He which is filthy let him be filthy still.
Rev. xxii. 11.
Syn. -- Nasty; foul; dirty; squalid; unclean; sluttish; gross; vulgar; licentious. See Nasty.
Fil"trate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Filtrated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Filtrating. (&?;)] [Cf. LL. filtrare. See Filter.] To filter; to defecate; as liquid, by straining or percolation. Arbuthnot.
Fil"trate (?), n. That which has been filtered; the liquid which has passed through the filter in the process of filtration.
Fil*tra"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. filtration.] The act or process of filtering; the mechanical separation of a liquid from the undissolved particles floating in it.
{ Fim"ble, n., or Fim"ble hemp` (fm"b'l hmp`). }[Corrupted from female hemp.] Light summer hemp, that bears no seed.
||Fim"bri*a (?), n.; pl. FimbriÊ (#). [L., fringe. See Fringle.] ||(Anat.) (a) pl. A fringe, or fringed border. (b) A band of white ||matter bordering the hippocampus in the brain. -- Fim"bri*al (#), a.
Fim*bri*ate (?), a. [L. fimbriatus fibrous, fringed, fr. fimbria fiber, fringe. See Fringe.] Having the edge or extremity bordered by filiform processes thicker than hairs; fringed; as, the fimbriate petals of the pink; the fimbriate end of the Fallopian tube.
Fim"bri*ate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fimbriated; p. pr. & vb. n. Fimbriating.] To hem; to fringe. Fuller.
Fim"bri*a`ted (?), a. 1. Having a fringed border; fimbriate.
2. (Her.) Having a very narrow border of another tincture; -- said esp. of an ordinary or subordinary.
Fim"bri*cate (?), a. 1. Fringed; jagged; fimbriate.
2. (Zoˆl.) fringed, on one side only, by long, straight hairs, as the antennÊ of certain insects.
Fin (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Finned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Finning.] [Cf. Fin of a fish.] To carve or cut up, as a chub.
Fin, n. [See Fine, n.] End; conclusion; object. [Obs.] "She knew eke the fin of his intent." Chaucer.
Fin, n.[OE. finne, fin, AS. finn; akin to D. vin, G. & Dan. finne, Sw. fena, L. pinna, penna, a wing, feather. Cf. pen a feather.] 1. (Zoˆl.) An organ of a fish, consisting of a membrane supported by rays, or little bony or cartilaginous ossicles, and serving to balance and propel it in the water.
Fishes move through the water chiefly by means of the caudal fin or tail, the principal office of the other fins being to balance or direct the body, though they are also, to a certain extent, employed in producing motion.
2. (Zoˆl.) A membranous, finlike, swimming organ, as in pteropod and heteropod mollusks.
3. A finlike organ or attachment; a part of an object or product which protrudes like a fin, as: (a) The hand. [Slang] (b) (Com.) A blade of whalebone. [Eng.] McElrath.
(c) (Mech.) A mark or ridge left on a casting at the junction of the parts of a mold. (d) (Mech.) The thin sheet of metal squeezed out between the collars of the rolls in the process of rolling. Raymond.
(e) (Mech.) A feather; a spline.
4. A finlike appendage, as to submarine boats.
Apidose fin. (Zoˆl.) See under Adipose, a. -- Fin ray (Anat.), one of the hornlike, cartilaginous, or bony, dermal rods which form the skeleton of the fins of fishes. -- Fin whale (Zoˆl.), a finback. -- Paired fins (Zoˆl.), the pectoral and ventral fins, corresponding to the fore and hind legs of the higher animals. -- Unpaired, or Median, fins (Zoˆl.), the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins.
Fin"a*ble (?), a. [From Fine.] Liable or subject to a fine; as, a finable person or offense. Bacon.
Fi"nal (f"nal), a. [F., fr. L. finalis, fr. finis boundary, limit, end. See Finish.] 1. Pertaining to the end or conclusion; last; terminating; ultimate; as, the final day of a school term.
Yet despair not of his final pardon.
Milton.
2. Conclusive; decisive; as, a final judgment; the battle of Waterloo brought the contest to a final issue.
3. Respecting an end or object to be gained; respecting the purpose or ultimate end in view.
Final cause. See under Cause.
Syn. -- Final, Conclusive, Ultimate. Final is now appropriated to that which brings with it an end; as, a final adjustment; the final judgment, etc. Conclusive implies the closing of all discussion, negotiation, etc.; as, a conclusive argument or fact; a conclusive arrangement. In using ultimate, we have always reference to something earlier or proceeding; as when we say, a temporary reverse may lead to an ultimate triumph. The statements which a man finally makes at the close of a negotiation are usually conclusive as to his ultimate intentions and designs.
||Fi*na"le (f*n‰"l), n. [It. See Final.] Close; termination; as: (a) ||(Mus.) The last movement of a symphony, sonata, concerto, or any ||instrumental composition. (b) The last composition performed in any ||act of an opera. (c) The closing part, piece, or scene in any public ||performance or exhibition.
Fi*nal"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Finalities (#). [L. finalitas the being last.] 1. The state of being final, finished, or complete; a final or conclusive arrangement; a settlement. Baxter.
2. The relation of end or purpose to its means. Janet.
Fi"nal*ly (?), adv. 1. At the end or conclusion; ultimately; lastly; as, the contest was long, but the Romans finally conquered.
Whom patience finally must crown.
Milton.
2. Completely; beyond recovery.
Not any house of noble English in Ireland was utterly destroyed or finally rooted out.
Sir J. Davies.
Fi*nance" (?), n. [F., fr. LL. financia payment of money, money, fr. finare to pay a fine or subsidy (cf. OF. finer to finish, pay), fr. L. finis end. See Fine, n., Finish.] 1. The income of a ruler or of a state; revenue; public money; sometimes, the income of an individual; often used in the plural for funds; available money; resources.
All the finances or revenues of the imperial crown.
Bacon.
2. The science of raising and expending the public revenue. "Versed in the details of finance." Macaulay.
Fi*nan"cial (?), a. Pertaining to finance. "Our financial and commercial system." Macaulay.
Fi*nan"cial*ist, n. A financier.
Fi*nan"cial*ly, adv. In a financial manner. Burke.
Fin`an*cier" (?; 277), n. [Cf. F. financier.] 1. One charged with the administration of finance; an officer who administers the public revenue; a treasurer. Burke.
2. One skilled in financial operations; one acquainted with money matters.
Fin`an*cier", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Financiered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Financiering.] To conduct financial operations.
Fin"a*ry (?), n. (Iron Works) See Finery.
Fi"na*tive (?), a. Conclusive; decisive; definitive; final. [Obs.] Greene (1593).
Fin"back` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) Any whale of the genera Sibbaldius, BalÊnoptera, and allied genera, of the family BalÊnopteridÊ, characterized by a prominent fin on the back. The common finbacks of the New England coast are Sibbaldius tectirostris and S. tuberosus.
Finch (fnch), n.; pl. Finches (-z). [AS. finc; akin to D. vink, OHG. fincho, G. fink; cf. W. pinc a finch; also E. spink.] (Zoˆl.) A small singing bird of many genera and species, belonging to the family FringillidÊ.
The word is often used in composition, as in chaffinch, goldfinch, grassfinch, pinefinch, etc.
Bramble finch. See Brambling. -- Canary finch, the canary bird. -- Copper finch. See Chaffinch. -- Diamond finch. See under Diamond. - - Finch falcon (Zoˆl.), one of several very small East Indian falcons of the genus Hierax. -- To pull a finch, to swindle an ignorant or unsuspecting person. [Obs.] "Privily a finch eke could he pull." Chaucer.
Finch"backed` (?), a. Streaked or spotted on the back; -- said of cattle.
Finched (?), a. Same as Finchbacked.
Find (fnd), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Found (found); p. pr. & vb. n. Finding.] [AS. findan; akin to D. vinden, OS. & OHG. findan, G. finden, Dan. finde, icel. & Sw. finna, Goth. fin˛an; and perh. to L. petere to seek, Gr. pi`ptein to fall, Skr. pat to fall, fly, E. petition.] 1. To meet with, or light upon, accidentally; to gain the first sight or knowledge of, as of something new, or unknown; hence, to fall in with, as a person.
Searching the window for a flint, I found This paper, thus sealed up.
Shak.
In woods and forests thou art found.
Cowley.
2. To learn by experience or trial; to perceive; to experience; to discover by the intellect or the feelings; to detect; to feel. "I find you passing gentle." Shak.
The torrid zone is now found habitable.
Cowley.
3. To come upon by seeking; as, to find something lost. (a) To discover by sounding; as, to find bottom. (b) To discover by study or experiment direct to an object or end; as, water is found to be a compound substance. (c) To gain, as the object of desire or effort; as, to find leisure; to find means. (d) To attain to; to arrive at; to acquire.
Seek, and ye shall find.
Matt. vii. 7.
Every mountain now hath found a tongue.
Byron.
4. To provide for; to supply; to furnish; as, to find food for workemen; he finds his nephew in money.
Wages £14 and all found.
London Times.
Nothing a day and find yourself.
Dickens.
5. To arrive at, as a conclusion; to determine as true; to establish; as, to find a verdict; to find a true bill (of indictment) against an accused person.
To find his title with some shows of truth.
Shak.
To find out, to detect (a thief); to discover (a secret) -- to solve or unriddle (a parable or enigma); to understand. "Canst thou by searching find out God?" Job. xi. 7. "We do hope to find out all your tricks." Milton. -- To find fault with, to blame; to censure. -- To find one's self, to be; to fare; -- often used in speaking of health; as, how do you find yourself this morning?
Find (?), v. i. (Law) To determine an issue of fact, and to declare such a determination to a court; as, the jury find for the plaintiff. Burrill.
Find, n. Anything found; a discovery of anything valuable; especially, a deposit, discovered by archÊologists, of objects of prehistoric or unknown origin.
Find"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being found; discoverable. Fuller.
Find"er (?), n. One who, or that which, finds; specifically (Astron.), a small telescope of low power and large field of view, attached to a larger telescope, for the purpose of finding an object more readily.
Find"fault` (?), n. A censurer or caviler. [Obs.]
Find"fault`ing, a. Apt to censure or cavil; faultfinding; captious. [Obs.] Whitlock.
Find"ing, n. 1. That which is found, come upon, or provided; esp. (pl.), that which a journeyman artisan finds or provides for himself; as tools, trimmings, etc.
When a man hath been laboring . . . in the deep mines of knowledge, hath furnished out his findings in all their equipage.
Milton.
2. Support; maintenance; that which is provided for one; expence; provision.
3. (Law) The result of a judicial examination or inquiry, especially into some matter of fact; a verdict; as, the finding of a jury. Burrill.
After his friends finding and his rent.
Chaucer.
Fin"dy (?), a. [AS. finding heavy; cf. Dan. fyndig strong, energetical, fynd strength, energy, emphasis.] Full; heavy; firm; solid; substantial. [Obs.]
A cold May and a windy Makes the barn fat amd findy.
Old Proverb.
Fine (fn), a. [Compar. Finer (?); 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.
The gain thereof [is better] than fine gold.
Prov. iii. 14.
A cup of wine that's brisk and fine.
Shak.
Not only the finest gentleman of his time, but one of the finest scholars.
Felton.
To soothe the sick bed of so fine a being [Keats].
Leigh Hunt.
2. Aiming at show or effect; loaded with ornament; overdressed or overdecorated; showy.
He gratified them with occasional . . . fine writing.
M. Arnold.
3. Nice; delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; skillful; dexterous.
The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine!
Pope.
The nicest and most delicate touches of satire consist in fine raillery.
Dryden.
He has as fine a hand at picking a pocket as a woman.
T. Gray.
4. Not coarse, gross, or heavy; as: (a) Not gross; subtile; thin; tenous.
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.
5. Having (such) a proportion of pure metal in its composition; as, coins nine tenths fine.
6. (Used ironically.)
Ye have made a fine hand, fellows.
Shak.
Fine is often compounded with participles and adjectives, modifying them adverbially; a, fine-drawn, fine-featured, fine-grained, fine-spoken, fine-spun, etc.
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. 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.
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Fine, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fined (fnd); p. pr. & vb. n. Fining.] [From Fine, a.] 1. To make fine; to refine; to purify, to clarify; as, to fine gold.
It hath been fined and refined by . . . learned men.
Hobbes.
2. To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc.; as. to fine the soil. L. H. Bailey.
3. To change by fine gradations; as (Naut.), to fine down a ship's lines, to diminish her lines gradually.
I often sate at home On evenings, watching how they fined themselves With gradual conscience to a perfect night.
Browning.
Fine (?), n. [OE. fin, L. finis end, also in LL., a final agreement or concord between the lord and his vassal; a sum of money paid at the end, so as to make an end of a transaction, suit, or prosecution; mulct; penalty; cf. OF. fin end, settlement, F. fin end. See Finish, and cf. Finance.] 1. End; conclusion; termination; extinction. [Obs.] "To see their fatal fine." Spenser.
Is this the fine of his fines?
Shak.
2. A sum of money paid as the settlement of a claim, or by way of terminating a matter in dispute; especially, a payment of money imposed upon a party as a punishment for an offense; a mulct.
3. (Law) (a) (Feudal Law) A final agreement concerning lands or rents between persons, as the lord and his vassal. Spelman.
(b) (Eng. Law) A sum of money or price paid for obtaining a benefit, favor, or privilege, as for admission to a copyhold, or for obtaining or renewing a lease.
Fine for alienation (Feudal Law), a sum of money paid to the lord by a tenant whenever he had occasion to make over his land to another. Burrill. -- Fine of lands, a species of conveyance in the form of a fictitious suit compromised or terminated by the acknowledgment of the previous owner that such land was the right of the other party. Burrill. See Concord, n., 4. -- In fine, in conclusion; by way of termination or summing up.
Fine, v. t. [From Fine, n.] To impose a pecuniary penalty upon for an offense or breach of law; to set a fine on by judgment of a court; to punish by fine; to mulct; as, the trespassers were fined ten dollars.
Fine, v. i. To pay a fine. See Fine, n., 3 (b). [R.]
Men fined for the king's good will; or that he would remit his anger; women fined for leave to marry.
Hallam.
Fine, v. t. & i. [OF. finer, F. finir. See Finish, v. t.] To finish; to cease; or to cause to cease. [Obs.]
Fine"draw` (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Finedrawn (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Finedrawing.] To sew up, so nicely that the seam is not perceived; to renter. Marryat.
Fine"draw`er (?), n. One who finedraws.
Fine"drawn` (?), a. Drawn out with too much subtilty; overnice; as, finedrawn speculations.
Fi*neer" (?), v. i. To run in debt by getting goods made up in a way unsuitable for the use of others, and then threatening not to take them except on credit. [R.] Goldsmith.
Fi*neer", v. t. To veneer.
Fine"less (?), a. [Fine end + -less.] Endless; boundless. [Obs.] Shak.
Fine"ly, adv. In a fine or finished manner.
Fine"ness, n. [From Fine, a.] 1. The quality or condition of being fine.
2. Freedom from foreign matter or alloy; clearness; purity; as, the fineness of liquor.
The fineness of the gold, and chargeful fashion.
Shak.
3. The proportion of pure silver or gold in jewelry, bullion, or coins.
The fineness of United States coin is nine tenths, that of English gold coin is eleven twelfths, and that of English silver coin is .
4. Keenness or sharpness; as, the fineness of a needle's point, or of the edge of a blade.
Fin"er (?), n. One who fines or purifies.
Fin"er*y (?), n. 1. Fineness; beauty. [Obs.]
Don't choose your place of study by the finery of the prospects.
I. Watts.
2. Ornament; decoration; especially, excecially decoration; showy clothes; jewels.
Her mistress' cast-off finery.
F. W. Robertson.
3. [Cf. Refinery.] (Iron Works) A charcoal hearth or furnace for the conversion of cast iron into wrought iron, or into iron suitable for puddling.
Fine"spun` (?), a. Spun so as to be fine; drawn to a fine thread; attenuated; hence, unsubstantial; visionary; as, finespun theories.
Fi`nesse" (? or ?), n. [F., fr. fin fine. See Fine, a.] 1. Subtilty of contrivance to gain a point; artifice; stratagem.
This is the artificialest piece of finesse to persuade men into slavery.
Milton.
2. (Whist Playing) The act of finessing. See Finesse, v. i., 2.
Fi*nesse" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Finessed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Finessing.] 1. To use artifice or stratagem. Goldsmith.
2. (Whist Playing) To attempt, when second or third player, to make a lower card answer the purpose of a higher, when an intermediate card is out, risking the chance of its being held by the opponent yet to play.
Fine"still` (?), v. t. To distill, as spirit from molasses or some saccharine preparation.
Fine"still`er (?), n. One who finestills.
Fin"ew (?), n. [See Fenowed.] Moldiness. [R.]
Fin"fish` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) (a) A finback whale. (b) (pl.) True fish, as distinguished from shellfish.
Fin"foot` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A South American bird (Heliornis fulica) allied to the grebes. The name is also applied to several related species of the genus Podica.
Fin"-foot`ed, a. (Zoˆl.) (a) Having palmate feet. (b) Having lobate toes, as the coot and grebe.
Fin"ger (f"gr), n. [AS. finger; akin to D. vinger, OS. & OHG. fingar, G. finger, Icel. fingr, Sw. & Dan. finger, Goth. figgrs; of unknown origin; perh. akin to E. fang.] 1. One of the five terminating members of the hand; a digit; esp., one of the four extremities of the hand, other than the thumb.
2. Anything that does the work of a finger; as, the pointer of a clock, watch, or other registering machine; especially (Mech.) a small projecting rod, wire, or piece, which is brought into contact with an object to effect, direct, or restrain a motion.
3. The breadth of a finger, or the fourth part of the hand; a measure of nearly an inch; also, the length of finger, a measure in domestic use in the United States, of about four and a half inches or one eighth of a yard.
A piece of steel three fingers thick.
Bp. Wilkins.
4. Skill in the use of the fingers, as in playing upon a musical instrument. [R.]
She has a good finger.
Busby.