English dictionary — definitions & meanings

fingering

noun

The technique or pattern of using particular fingers to play notes on an instrument.

fingermark

noun

A blemish made by a dirty finger; a fingerprint.

fingernail

noun

The hard, flat covering at the tip of a finger.

fingerpost

noun

A board that shows the direction (and often distance) to a named place; especially one of several attached to a milepost.

fingerprint

noun

The unique pattern of ridges on a fingertip, or the mark it leaves on a surface.

fingerstall

noun

A protective cover for the finger; a fingercot.

fingertip

noun

The very end of a finger.

finical

adj

Finicky, fastidious, overly precise or delicate.

finicking

noun

finicky behaviour; fussing

finickity

adj

Fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting, especially about details; meticulous and particular.

finicky

adj

Overly fussy or hard to please, especially about small details.

finikin

adj

Excessively dainty or fastidious.

finis

noun

Of a book or other work: the end.

finish

verb

To complete or bring something to an end.

finished

adj

Completed; done.

finishedness

noun

The quality of being finished.

finisher

noun

A person who finishes or completes something.

finishing

noun

The act or process of completing something, or the final details added to perfect it.

finite

adj

Having a limit or end; not infinite.

finito

adj

Finished; completely over, often used for emphasis.

finity

noun

The state or characteristic of being limited in number or scope.

fink

noun

An informer, especially one seen as untrustworthy or contemptible.

Finland

name

A Nordic country in Northern Europe bordering Sweden, Norway, and Russia.

Finlay

name

A masculine given name and surname of Scottish Gaelic origin, meaning "fair-haired hero."

Finley

name

A given name and surname, a variant of Finlay, of Scottish Gaelic origin meaning "fair-haired hero."

Finn

noun

A person from Finland, or someone of Finnish ethnic background.

finna

verb

Going to or about to do something, used before another verb to talk about the immediate future.

Finnegan

name

An Irish surname and given name, an Anglicized form of Ó Fionnagáin, meaning "descendant of the fair one."

finneghan

name

A surname from Irish, and doublet of Finnegan.

Finnerty

name

An Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Fionnachtaigh.

Finney

name

An English surname and given name.

Finnish

adj

Relating to Finland, its people, or its language.

finnley

name

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Fiona

name

A feminine given name of Scottish Gaelic origin, meaning "fair" or "white."

fir

noun

An evergreen conifer tree with needle-like leaves, or its wood.

firangi

noun

A foreigner, especially a British or a white person.

fire

noun

The chemical reaction of burning, producing heat, light, and flame.

firearm

noun

A weapon, such as a gun, that uses an explosive charge to fire a projectile.

fireball

noun

A ball or sphere of intense fire, especially from an explosion.

firebath

noun

A bath in intense heat; sauna.

firebird

noun

A legendary glowing bird from folklore, said to bring both fortune and doom.

firebomb

noun

A weapon that causes fire; an incendiary weapon.

firebox

noun

The chamber of a steam engine, or a steam locomotive, in which the fuel is burned.

firebrand

noun

A torch or other burning stick with a flame at one end.

firebug

noun

Pyrrhocoris apterus, a common red and black insect, that is the type species of the family Pyrrhocoridae.

firecracker

noun

A small paper-wrapped explosive that makes a loud bang, used for celebrations.

fired

adj

Dismissed from a job.

firedrake

noun

A fire-breathing dragon.

firefight

noun

A short, intense exchange of gunfire between opposing sides.

firefighter

noun

Someone trained to put out fires and rescue people from them.

firefly

noun

A small beetle that glows in the dark, especially at dusk.

firehouse

noun

A building where fire engines and firefighters are based; a fire station.

fireman

noun

Someone trained to fight fires (traditionally referring to a man).

firenze

name

A city and comune, the capital of the Metropolitan City of Florence and the region of Tuscany, Italy.

fireplace

noun

An open recess at the base of a chimney where a fire is built for heat.

firepower

noun

The destructive capacity of weapons available to a military force.

fireproof

adj

Able to resist damage from fire.

fireraising

noun

arson; deliberate setting of fires

fireside

noun

The area near a fireplace or hearth.

firestorm

noun

A massive fire that generates and is fed by its own strong winds.

firetrap

noun

A building that is dangerously flammable and/or has limited emergency exits in which people would be trapped in the event of a fire.

firewall

noun

A fireproof barrier built to stop fire from spreading between parts of a building or vehicle.

firewater

noun

High-proof alcoholic beverage, especially whiskey (especially in the context of its sale to or consumption by Native Americans).

firewood

noun

Wood cut and kept for burning, usually for heat.

firework

noun

A device that burns or explodes to produce coloured light, sparks, or noise, used for celebrations.

fireworks

noun

A display or event featuring fireworks.

firing

noun

The act of shooting a weapon.

firm

noun

A business, especially one run as a partnership, such as a law or accounting practice.

firmament

noun

The sky, especially thought of as a vast dome or vault overhead.

firmer

noun

An exercise or product meant to tighten or tone part of the body.

firmly

adv

In a strong, steady, or definite way.

firmness

noun

The quality of being solid or resistant to pressure.

firmware

noun

Software stored permanently inside a piece of hardware that controls how that device behaves at the most basic level, from a router or camera to a printer or a hard drive.

firn

noun

A type of old snow which has gone through multiple thaw and refreeze cycles and thus is made of numerous small icy grains, though it is not nearly as saturated with water as snowcone slush is; can be hard or somewhat soft depending on recent and current weather conditions.

first

adj

Coming before all others in order, rank, or time.

first generation

adjective

Describing a person who was born in a country to parents who immigrated there, or, in other uses, the immigrant who arrived first; the term is applied both ways depending on who is speaking.

first of all

adverb

Before anything else; used to introduce the first item in a list of points, steps or objections.

firstborn

noun

The first child born into a family.

firstcomer

noun

One who comes first; a person or entity being the first to arrive, or the first in sequence.

firsthand

adj

Coming directly from personal experience, without any middleman.

firstly

adv

Used to introduce the first point in a list or argument.

firth

noun

A narrow inlet of the sea, especially in Scotland, or a river estuary.

fisc

noun

The public treasury of Rome.

fiscal

adj

Relating to government revenue, spending, or public finances.

fiscal year

noun

A twelve-month period that an organisation or government uses for accounting, budgeting and tax reporting, which need not begin in January.

fiscally

adv

In a fiscal manner; concerning finance

Fischer

name

A German surname, an occupational name for a fisherman.

fish

noun

A cold-blooded animal that lives in water, breathes through gills, and swims using fins.

fished

adjective

Containing fish, or stocked/loaded with fish.

fisher

noun

A person who catches fish, whether for a living or for sport.

fisherman

noun

A person who fishes, whether as a job or a hobby.

fisherwoman

noun

A woman who fishes.

fishery

noun

Fishing: the catching, processing and marketing of fish or other seafood.

fishes

noun

Plural of fish, used especially to mean several different kinds of fish.

fishify

verb

To change (flesh) to fish; to transform into a fish.

fishing

noun

The activity or sport of catching fish.

Fishman

noun

A man who sells fish.

fishmonger

noun

A person or shop that sells fish.

fishnet

noun

A net used for catching fish.

fishwife

noun

A woman who sells or works with fish; a female fishmonger.

fishworm

noun

A worm used as bait in angling.

fishy

adj

Tasting, smelling, or resembling fish.

fisk

verb

To move about briskly or restlessly; to whisk around.

Fiske

name

An English surname, a variant occupational name for a fish seller.

fissile

adj

Able to be split.

fission

noun

The splitting of an atomic nucleus into smaller pieces, releasing large amounts of energy.

fissure

noun

A long, narrow crack or split, especially in rock, ground, or body tissue.

fist

noun

A hand with the fingers curled tightly inward, typically for punching or gripping.

fistfight

noun

A fight in which people hit each other with their bare fists rather than weapons.

fistful

noun

The amount of something that fits in one closed hand.

fisticuffs

noun

An impromptu fight with the fists, usually between only two people.

fistula

noun

An abnormal connection or passageway between organs or vessels that normally do not connect.

fit

adj

Physically healthy and in good shape.

fitch

noun

A polecat, or the fur taken from one.

fitchew

name

A surname originating as a patronymic.

fitchie

name

A surname originating as a patronymic.

fitful

adj

Characterized by fits (convulsions or seizures).

fitfully

adv

In a fitful manner; irregularly or unsteadily.

fitna

noun

Strife; social unrest or civil war among Muslims, especially from the 7th to the 9th century.

fitness

noun

The condition of being physically healthy and strong, usually through exercise.

fitted

adj

Shaped to closely match the contours of something, especially a body or piece of furniture.

fitter

noun

A skilled worker who assembles, installs, or adjusts machinery or equipment.

fitting

adj

Appropriate or suitable for the occasion.

Fitz

name

A surname or nickname, often a shortened form of names beginning with "Fitz-," itself meaning "son of."

Fitzgerald

name

An Irish surname meaning "son of Gerald."

fitzhugh

name

A surname originating as a patronymic.

Fitzpatrick

name

An Irish surname meaning "son of Patrick."

Fitzroy

name

A surname historically given to illegitimate sons of English kings, meaning "son of the king."

fitzwilliam

name

A surname originating as a patronymic.

five

num

The number after four and before six; 5.

fiver

noun

(informal, chiefly UK) A five-pound or five-dollar banknote.

fives

noun

A ball game similar to squash, played by hitting a ball against a wall with a gloved hand.

fivesome

noun

A group of five people or things.

fix

verb

To repair something that is broken or not working properly.

fixable

adj

Able to be repaired or corrected.

fixate

verb

To make something fixed and stable; to fix.

fixated

adj

Obsessively focused on one person, idea, or thing, often to an unhealthy degree.

fixation

noun

An intense, often unhealthy preoccupation with a particular person, idea, or thing.

fixed

adj

Set firmly in place; not movable.

fixer

noun

A chemical (sodium thiosulfate) used in photographic development that fixes the image in place, preventing further chemical reactions.

fixing

noun

Hardware used to attach or secure something, such as screws or brackets.

fixings

noun

The necessary ingredients or components (for something, especially food or a social event).

Fixit

noun

A hypothetical or discussed scenario in which Finland leaves the European Union.

fixture

noun

A permanent fitting or appliance attached to a building, such as a sink or light.

fizgig

noun

A flirtatious, coquettish girl, inclined to gad or gallivant about; a gig, a giglot, a jillflirt.

fizz

noun

A stream of small bubbles, or the hissing sound they make.

fizzing

noun

The sound or action of bubbling and hissing.

fizzle

verb

To gradually fail or fade away after a promising start.

fizzy

adj

Containing carbon dioxide bubbles; sparkling.

fjord

noun

A long, narrow inlet of the sea bordered by steep cliffs, typically carved by glaciers.