fin

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“
It's barely a Dolphin anymore; the fin is all that saves it at this point.

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Definitions (42)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (12)

  1. noun A membranous appendage extending from the body of a fish or other aquatic animal, used for propelling, steering, or balancing the body in the water.
  2. noun Something resembling a fin in shape or function, as:
  3. noun A fixed or movable airfoil used to stabilize an aircraft, missile, or projectile in flight.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (18)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

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Examples (50)

  • When the two boys manage to scare the bejesus out of the entire swimming community with their plastic fin, there is NO shark music underneath the scene; it's a subtle invitation to the audience to figure out the shark is a fake. —  murderati
  • I think the general treatment will center around the fact that Bruce's fin was always a bit on the short side, so he had to go around messing with Brody, Quint, Hooper, et al. Deaf - Pretty sure Che was eligible. —  Hollywood Elsewhere
  • A dolphin's fluke and a fish's tail fin are analogous structures. —  Recently Uploaded Slideshows
  • DSA is also contributing the ribs and spars for the tail fin, and centre wing box structural components. —  Engineering News | Home
  • Tiktaalik's fin, and on the right we see the true limb of a true tetrapod, —  Evolution News & Views
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Etymologies (4)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. Middle English, from Old English finn.
  2. Yiddish finf, five, from Old High German funf, finf; see penkwe in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English finne, fynne, from Anglo-Saxon finn = Middle Dutch vinne, Dutch vin = Low German finne (later G. finne) = Old Swedish fina, Swedish finne, fena = Danish finne, fin, = Latin pinna, fin. L. pinna, a fin, is rare; it is usually regarded as identical with pinna or penna (orig. different words, but used indiscriminately), a feather, wing, a feather on an arrow, an arrow, Late Latin penna, a pen, etc. The form penna was in Old Latin pesna, petna, the same, though with different suffix, as English feather, q. v. See pen and pin.
  2. from fin, n.
 

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/fɪn/
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