"F" Word Origins

filmy

Origin

From film + -y. Cognate with Middle Dutch velmich, vilmich (“filmy, membranous”). Doublet of filmic.

filter

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin filtrum, related to Old French feutre ("felt"), since early filters were made from felted material.

filth

Old English

From Old English fylþu, related to the word foul.

filthy

Middle English

From Middle English filthy, formed from filth plus the adjective ending -y.

filtrate

Origin

From the substantivation of New Latin filtrātus (“filtered”) past perfect participle of filtrō (“to filter”). Equivalent to filter (the verb) + -ate (noun-forming suffix).

filtration

French

Borrowed from French filtration, ultimately from the same root as filter.

filum

Origin

From Latin fīlum (“thread”). Doublet of file.

fin

Old English

From Old English finn, from a Germanic root meaning "dorsal fin," ultimately tied to an ancient word for "backbone."

fina

Italian

Borrowed from Italian Fina.

finagle

Origin

Americanism from the 1920s, perhaps combining an alteration of fainaigue (“to renege”) with the suffix + -le (“frequentative”), possibly influenced by inveigle; compare haggle.

final

Latin

From Old French final, ultimately from Latin finis, meaning "end."

finale

Latin

From Italian finale ("ending"), from Latin finis.

finalist

Origin

Formed from final plus the suffix -ist.

finalize

Origin

Formed from final plus the verb-forming suffix -ize.

finally

Middle English

From Middle English finally, fynaly, fynally, fynaliche, fynalliche, equivalent to final + -ly.

finance

Latin

From Old French finance, originally meaning "payment" or "settlement of a debt," from finer ("to pay a ransom/settle a debt"), ultimately from Latin finis ("end").

financial

Origin

Formed from finance plus the adjective suffix -ial.

financier

French

Borrowed directly from French financier.

finch

Old English

From Old English finc, related to similar words in Dutch and German for the same bird family.

Finchley

Old English

Probably from Old English finċ (“finch”) + lēah (“woodland”), equivalent to finch + -ley (“lea”). Doublet of Finkley.

find

Old English

From Old English findan, related to German finden and Dutch vinden, ultimately from a very old root meaning "to go" or "to travel a path" — the idea being that you find something by making your way to it.

finder

Origin

Formed from find plus the suffix -er, meaning "one who does."

finding

Origin

From find plus -ing, the noun-forming suffix.

findlay

Origin

Variant of Finlay.

fine

Latin

From Old French fin ("fine, exact"), probably tracing back to Latin finis, "an end or boundary" — the sense of a monetary fine comes from the idea of a payment that settles a matter and brings it to a close.

finely

Middle English

From Middle English finely, fynely, fynly, fineliche, finliche, fynliche, equivalent to fine + -ly.

finery

Origin

From fine, in the sense of "elegant" or "showy," plus the noun suffix -ery.

finesse

Latin

From Old French finesse, related to fin ("fine, refined"), ultimately from Latin finis ("an end") — the sense evolved from "refinement" to "a skilful, subtle way of getting what you want."

finfish

Origin

From fin + fish.

finger

Old English

From Old English finger, related to German Finger and Dutch vinger, ultimately traced back to the Indo-European word for "five" — fingers being the five digits of the hand.

fingerbreadth

Origin

From finger + breadth. Compare Middle English fynger brede, fyngerbrede, fyngyrbrede.

fingered

Origin

From finger + -ed.

fingermark

Origin

From finger + mark.

fingernail

Old English

A straightforward compound of finger and nail, going back to Old English forms with the same meaning.

fingerpost

Origin

From finger + post.

fingerprint

Origin

A compound of finger and print, referring literally to the mark, or "print," a finger leaves behind.

fingertip

Origin

A compound of finger and tip.

finical

Origin

University slang, probably from fine.

finicking

Origin

Late 16th century. Earliest occurrence as finical, probably coined from fine + -ical. Finicking is recorded from the mid-17th century.

finickity

Origin

Possibly a blend of finicky + pernickety

finicky

Origin

From finick, an old word meaning "to fuss over unnecessary details," plus the adjective suffix -y.

finikin

Origin

From Middle Dutch fijnkens (“exactly; precisely”), from fijn (“fine”).

finis

Origin

From Middle English finis, from Latin fīnis (“end; limit”). Doublet of fin, fine, and finish.

finish

Latin

From Old French finir, ultimately from Latin finis, meaning "end" or "boundary."

finishedness

Origin

From finished + -ness.

finite

Latin

From Latin finitus, "limited" or "bounded," the past participle of finire, "to finish" or "set a limit."

finito

Latin

Borrowed directly from Italian finito, "finished," from Latin finitus.

finity

Origin

From French finité, from Old French finité, from fini (past participle of finir (“to bound”)) + -ité.