finis

Etymology

Disputed.^[1] Perhaps for Latin *fignis, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to stick, set up”), whence fīgō,^[2] or for Latin *fidnis, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“to split”), whence findō. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)
Other hypotheses include:^[1]

• From Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyH- (“to strike”); compare perfinēs (“(you would) break, shatter”).
• From the same source as Proto-Germanic *bainaz (“straight; ready”) and *bainą (“bone”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyH-n- (“something straight, pole”), which may or may not be from the same root “to strike” above.

For the meaning “region”, compare pāgus again from a root meaning “to fix”.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈfiː.nis/, [ˈfiːnɪs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈfi.nis/, [ˈfiːnis]

Noun

fīnis m or f (genitive fīnis); third declension

1. end

   Antonyms: initium, prīmōrdium, prīncipium, exōrdium, orīgō, limen

   in finem ― eternally

   ad finem ― to the end

   finem facio ― I cease

   • 29-19 BC, Vergil. Aeneid, 1.199

     dabit Deus hīs quoque fīnem

     God will give an end to these (things) also.

2. limit, border, bound boundary, frontier

   Synonyms: līmes, modus, cacūmen

3. (in the plural) boundaries, bounds; by extension, territory, region, lands
4. limit in duration, term (duration of a set length)
   • 27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab Urbe Condita 26.1:

     huic generī mīlitum senātus eundem, quem Cannēnsibus, fīnem statuērat mīlitiae.

     For this class of soldier the senate had established a limit in duration to their military service, which was the same as the men at Cannae.

5. end, purpose, aim, object, telos

   Synonyms: voluntās, intentiō, cōnsilium, propositum, animus, mēns

6. death, end (of life)

   Synonyms: mors, fūnus, fātum, interitus, exitus, perniciēs, somnus, sopor

7. amount (in late juridical writings)

Verb

fīnīs

1. second-person singular present active of fīniō

References

Further reading

• “finis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “finis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• finis in Dizionario Latino, Olivetti
• finis in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• finis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to enlarge the boundaries of a kingdom: fines (imperii) propagare, extendere, (longius) proferre
    
  • to evacuate territory: (ex) finibus excedere
    
  • to put an end to one's life: vitae finem facere
    
  • such was the end of... (used of a violent death): talem vitae exitum (not finem) habuit (Nep. Eum. 13)
    
  • to finish, complete, fulfil, accomplish a thing: finem facere alicuius rei
    
  • to finish, complete, fulfil, accomplish a thing: finem imponere, afferre, constituere alicui rei
    
  • to finish, complete, fulfil, accomplish a thing: ad finem aliquid adducere
    
  • to come to an end: finem habere
    
  • to cease speaking: finem dicendi facere
    
  • to impose fixed limitations: fines certos terminosque constituere
    
  • to put an end to war: belli finem facere, bellum finire
    

Etymology

From English finish.

Particle

finis

1. Tense marker for the past perfect tense