Hypertext Webster Gateway: "finer"

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)

Finer
a worker in silver and gold (Prov. 25:4). In Judg. 17:4 the word
(tsoreph) is rendered "founder," and in Isa. 41:7 "goldsmith."

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Fine \Fine\, a. [Compar. {Finer}; superl. {Finest}.] [F. fin,
LL. finus fine, pure, fr. L. finire to finish; cf. finitus,
p. p., finished, completed (hence the sense accomplished,
perfect.) See {Finish}, and cf. {Finite}.]
1. Finished; brought to perfection; refined; hence, free from
impurity; excellent; superior; elegant; worthy of
admiration; accomplished; beautiful.

The gain thereof [is better] than fine gold. --Prov.
iii. 14.

A cup of wine that's brisk and fine. --Shak.

Not only the finest gentleman of his time, but one
of the finest scholars. --Felton.

To soothe the sick bed of so fine a being [Keats].
--Leigh Hunt.

2. Aiming at show or effect; loaded with ornament;
overdressed or overdecorated; showy.

He gratified them with occasional . . . fine
writing. --M. Arnold.

3. Nice; delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; skillful;
dexterous.

The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine! --Pope.

The nicest and most delicate touches of satire
consist in fine raillery. --Dryden.

He has as fine a hand at picking a pocket as a
woman. --T. Gray.

4. Not coarse, gross, or heavy; as:
(a) Not gross; subtile; thin; tenous.

The eye standeth in the finer medium and the
object in the grosser. --Bacon.
(b) Not coarse; comminuted; in small particles; as, fine
sand or flour.
(c) Not thick or heavy; slender; filmy; as, a fine thread.
(d) Thin; attenuate; keen; as, a fine edge.
(e) Made of fine materials; light; delicate; as, fine
linen or silk.

5. Having (such) a proportion of pure metal in its
composition; as, coins nine tenths fine.

6. (Used ironically.)

Ye have made a fine hand, fellows. --Shak.

Note: Fine is often compounded with participles and
adjectives, modifying them adverbially; a, fine-drawn,
fine-featured, fine-grained, fine-spoken, fine-spun,
etc.

{Fine arch} (Glass Making), the smaller fritting furnace of a
glasshouse. --Knight.

{Fine arts}. See the Note under {Art}.

{Fine cut}, fine cut tobacco; a kind of chewing tobacco cut
up into shreds.

{Fine goods}, woven fabrics of fine texture and quality.
--McElrath.

{Fine stuff}, lime, or a mixture of lime, plaster, etc., used
as material for the finishing coat in plastering.

{To sail fine} (Naut.), to sail as close to the wind as
possible.

Syn: {Fine}, {Beautiful}.

Usage: When used as a word of praise, fine (being opposed to
coarse) denotes no ``ordinary thing of its kind.'' It
is not as strong as beautiful, in reference to the
single attribute implied in the latter term; but when
we speak of a fine woman, we include a greater variety
of particulars, viz., all the qualities which become a
woman, -- breeding, sentiment, tact, etc. The term is
equally comprehensive when we speak of a fine garden,
landscape, horse, poem, etc.; and, though applied to a
great variety of objects, the word has still a very
definite sense, denoting a high degree of
characteristic excellence.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Finer \Fin"er\, n.
One who fines or purifies.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

finer
adj : (comparative of `fine') greater in quality or excellence; "a
finer wine"; "a finer musician"


Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup

Enter word here:
Exact Approx


dict.stokkie.net
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents; see the Webster Gateway FAQ, and also the Back-end/database links and credits.