final

Alternative forms

• finall (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English final, fynal, fynall, from Old French final, from Latin fīnālis (“of or relating to the end or to boundaries”), from fīnis (“end”); see fine. Replaced native English endly (“final”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪnl̩/

• Audio (London):

  (file)

• (General American) enPR: fī'nəl, IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪn(ə)l/, [-nəɫ]

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪnəl
• Hyphenation: fi‧nal

Noun

final (plural finals)

1. (US, Canada) A final examination; a test or examination given at the end of a term or class; the test that concludes a class.
   • 2005 April 13, Robert MacMillan, “Steal This Song”, in The Washington Post, retrieved 3 Oct. 2008:

     It was tough cramming for those midterms and finals, staying up 72 hours straight hepped up on caffeine and pizza.

2. (Oxbridge slang) A final examination taken at the end of the final year of an undergraduate course, which contributes towards a student's degree classification.
3. (sports) The last round, game or match in a contest, after which the winner is determined.
4. (phonology) The final part of a syllable, the combination of medial and rime in phonetics and phonology.
5. (music) The tonic or keynote of a Gregorian mode, and hence the final note of any conventional melody played in that mode.

Adjective

final (comparative more final, superlative most final)

1. Last; ultimate.

   final solution;   the final day of a school term

   • 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […]”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC:

     Yet despair not of his final pardon.

2. Conclusive; decisive.

   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.
5. (grammar) Expressing purpose; as in the term final clause.
6. (linguistics) Word-final; occurring at the end of a word.
   • 1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:

     Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.

Verb

final (third-person singular simple present finals, present participle finalling or (US) finaling, simple past and past participle finalled or (US) finaled)

1. (intransitive, sports, colloquial) To qualify for the final round of a competition.

   Mike finalled in both the 400 meter and the 800 meter races.

   • 2007 January 30, Archive Team, “A Day in the Life: Dennis Baker, Day 1”, in Swimming World‎:

     Early in his swimming career, Baker finaled in the 200 fly at both the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Trials and was a two-time Pacific 10 Champion in the event for the University of Arizona.

   • 2009 October 5, Archive Team, “Swimming World Six Star Kasey Carlson Makes College Pledge”, in Swimming World‎:

     Last year, Carlson would have A finaled in the 100-yard breast (58.75) and B finaled in the 200-yard breast (2:09.66).

   • 2011 September 1, Harry Pearson, “London 2012 can legacy by verbing the noun”, in The Guardian‎:

     Vocab-wise, medalling and PB-ing are now totally part-and-parcelled, and most experts in South Korea believe podiumed, finalled and all-comered are not far off lexiconing.

   • 2021 January 17, Chandler Brandes, “UNC Snags Verbal from Sprinter Tyler Roberton of Tampa Bay Aquatics for 2022-23”, in Swimming World‎:

     In Summer 2019, he finaled in a pair of events at Gainesville Sectionals before going on to take 22nd in the 100m and 200m free at Greensboro Futures.

Related terms

Further reading

• “final”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “final”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Falin, alfin, flain

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [fiˈnal]

Adjective

final m or f (masculine and feminine plural finals)

1. final

   Synonyms: darrer, últim

Noun

final m (plural finals)

1. end (last point or moment of something)

   Synonym: fi

2. finale (chronological conclusion of a series of narrative works)

Noun

final f (plural finals)

1. (sports, competitions) final, final round

Etymology

From English final.

Pronunciation

Noun

final

1. final; final examination

Etymology

From Italian finale, from Latin fīnālis, from fīnis (“end”).

Noun

final

1. a final

Adjective

final

1. final

References

• Mirjejev, V. A., Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎, Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

Etymology

From Latin fīnālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fi.nal/

Adjective

final (feminine finale, masculine plural finals or finaux, feminine plural finales)

1. final (last)
2. (linguistics, grammar) expressing purpose

Further reading

• “final”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Etymology

18th century, from Latin finālis, perhaps in part through French final. Recently revived to some degree by influence of English final.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fiˈnaːl/
• Rhymes: -aːl

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

final (strong nominative masculine singular finaler, not comparable)

1. (grammar) final, expressing purpose
2. (higher register) final, conclusive, irrevocable (that which will not or cannot be changed anymore, sometimes implying death)

   Synonyms: endgültig, abschließend, unwiderruflich, entscheidend, letztlich

   der finale Wortlaut der Verträge ― the final wording of the contracts

   das finale Krankheitsstadium ― the final stage of the illness

   finaler Rettungsschuss ― deadly force (literally, “final [i.e. lethal] rescue shot”)

   • 2020, Max-Emanuel Geis, Kommunalrecht. Ein Studienbuch, 5th edition, München: C.H. Beck, →ISBN, Sect. 3 Rn. 44, page 20:

     In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern wurde, auch aus Gründen der dünnen Besiedelung, die noch deutlich drastischere Reduzierung von zwölf auf sechs Landkreise und die Umwandlung von vier der sechs kreisfreien Städte zu Kreisstädten im Jahr 2011 durchgeführt. Auch hier blieben entsprechende Landesverfassungsbeschwerden final erfolglos.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. (rare, pompous, chiefly anglicism) final, last

   Synonym: letzter

   die finalen Minuten vor dem großen Auftritt ― the final minutes before the big gig

Etymology

From French final (“final”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /final/

Adjective

final

1. final

Noun

final (plural final-final)

1. finale, final, end

Adjective

final (apocopated)

1. Apocopic form of finale

Noun

final m

1. Apocopic form of finale

Anagrams

• fin là, flani, linfa

Adjective

final m (feminine singular finala, masculine plural finai, feminine plural finales)

1. final

Adjective

final m (oblique and nominative feminine singular finale)

1. final, definitive, last

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin fīnālis, from fīnis.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: fi‧nal

Adjective

final m or f (plural finais)

1. final, ultimate, last

   Synonyms: derradeiro, último

   • 2013, Marcio Arribabenne, F(r) - A lógica da resolução das questões usando apenas multiplicação e divisão, Clube dos Autores, →ISBN, page 85:

     Seguindo o conceito de fração, calculamos 1/3 de 900, tendo como resultado a quantidade de 300 livros. Logo depois, calculamos 1/5 de 300 e obtemos a resposta final, de 60 livros. Lembrando que um terço e um quinto são sinônimos, respectivamente, de terça parte e quinta parte. Podemos escrever, matematicamente, que: 1/3 de 900 = 900:3 = 300 ==> 1/5 de 300 = 300:5 = 60.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Noun

final m (plural finais)

1. end

   Synonyms: fim, término

   • 2006, Editora Sinodal, Celebrar Natal em família e comunidade, →ISBN, page 32:

     Participar de um amigo secreto realmente é bastante divertido, principalmente quando a turma é animada. Porém, no final da brincadeira, ganhar algo que não agrada pode ser decepcionante.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Noun

final f (plural finais)

1. (sports) final

Etymology

Borrowed from French final, from Latin finalis. By surface analysis, fine +‎ -al.

Adjective

final m or n (feminine singular finală, masculine plural finali, feminine and neuter plural finale)

1. final

Noun

final m (Cyrillic spelling финал)

1. (linguistics) final (last letter of word)
2. (sports) final

Etymology

From Latin fīnālis. By surface analysis, fin +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fiˈnal/ [fiˈnal]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: fi‧nal

Adjective

final m or f (masculine and feminine plural finales, superlative finalísimo)

1. final (last, ultimate)

   Synonym: último

2. final (conclusive, decisive)

   Synonym: concluyente

Noun

final m (plural finales)

1. end (the terminal point of something in space or time)

   Synonyms: fin, término

Noun

final f (plural finales)

1. (sports) final (the last round, game or match in a contest, after which the winner is determined)

Further reading

• “final”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɪˈnɑːl/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Italian finale and French final from Latin finālis, from fīnis + -ālis.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English final.

Anagrams

• flina

Etymology

Borrowed from French final.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fiˈnal/
• Hyphenation: fi‧nal

Noun

final (definite accusative finali, plural finaller)

1. the end
2. (education) the final exam
3. (music) finale
4. (sports) in tournaments: the last contest