Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FINE-DRAW-ER, n.

One who finedraws.

FINE-DRAW-ING, n.

Rentering; a dextrous or nice sewing up the rents of cloth or stuffs. – Encyc.

FINE-FIN-GER-ED, a.

Nice in workmanship; dextrous at fine work. – Johnson.

FINE-GRAIN'ED, a.

Having a fine grain.

FINE-LESS, a.

Endless; boundless. [Not used.] – Shak.

FINE-LY, adv.

1. In minute parts; as, a substance finely pulverized.
2. To a thin or sharp edge; as, an instrument finely sharpened.
3. Gaily; handsomely; beautifully; with elegance and taste. She was finely attired.
4. With elegance or beauty. Plutarch says very finely, that a man should not allow himself to hate even his enemies; for if you indulge this passion on some occasions, it will rise of itself in others. – Addison.
5. With advantage; very favorably; as, a house or garden finely situated.
6. Nicely; delicately; as, a stuff finely wrought.
7. Purely; completely. – Clarendon.
8. By way of irony, wretchedly; in a manner deserving of contemptuous notice. He is finely caught in his own snare.

FINE-NESS, n. [Fr. finesse; It. finezza.]

1. Thinness; smallness; slenderness; as, the fineness of a thread or silk. Hence,
2. Consisting of fine threads; as, fine linen.
3. Smallness; minuteness; as, the fineness of sand or particles; the fineness of soil or mold.
4. Clearness; purity; freedom from foreign matter; as, the fineness of wine or other liquor; the fineness of gold.
5. Niceness; delicacy; as, the fineness of taste.
6. Keenness; sharpness; thinness; as, the fineness of an edge.
7. Elegance; beauty; as, fineness of person.
8. Capacity for delicate or refined conceptions; as, the fineness of genius.
9. Show; splendor; gayety of appearance; elegance; as, the fineness of clothes or dress.
10. Clearness; as, the fineness of complexion.
11. Subtilty; artfulness; ingenuity; as, the fineness of wit.
12. Smoothness. – Drayton.

FIN-ER, n.

1. One who refines or purifies. – Prov. xxv. 4.
2. adj. Comparative of fine.

FIN-ER-Y, n.

1. Show; splendor; gayety of colors or appearance; as, the finery of a dress.
2. Showy articles of dress; gay clothes, jewels, trinkets, &c.
3. In iron-works, the second forge at the iron-mills. [See Finary.]

FINE-SPOK-EN, a.

Using fine phrases. – Chesterfield.

FINE-SPUN, a.

Drawn to a fine thread; minute; subtil.

FI-NESS', n. [Fr. finesse; It. finezza; Sp. fineza; properly, fineness.]

Artifice; stratagem; subtilty of contrivance to gain a point.

FI-NESS', v.i.

To use artifice or stratagem.

FI-NESS'ING, ppr.

Practicing artifice to accomplish a purpose.

FINE-STILL, v.t.

To distill spirit from melasses, treacle or some preparation of saccharine matter. – Encyc.

FINE'STILL-ER, n.

One who distills spirit from treacle or melasses. – Encyc.

FINE-STILL-ING, n.

The operation of distilling spirit from melasses or treacle. – Encyc.

FIN'FISH, n.

A species of slender whale.

FIN'FOOT-ED, a.

Having palmated feet, or feet with toes connected by a membrane. – Brown.

FIN'GER, n. [fing'ger; Sax. finger, from fengan, to take or seize; G., Sw. and Dan. finger; D. vinger. But n is not radical, for the Goth. is figgrs.]

1. One of the extreme parts of the hand, a small member shooting to a point. The fingers have joints which peculiarly fit them to be instruments of catching, seizing and holding. When we speak of the fingers generally, we include the thumb; as, the five fingers. But we often make a distinction. The fingers and thumb consist of fifteen bones; three to each. The word is applied to some other animals as well as to man.
2. A certain measure. We say a finger's breadth, or the breadth of the four fingers, or of the three fingers.
3. The hand. Waller. Who teacheth my fingers to fight. Ps. cxliv.
4. The finger or fingers of God in Scripture, signer his power, strength or operation. The magicians sold to Pharaoh, this is the finger of God. Exod. viii.
5. In music, ability; skill in playing on a keyed instrument. She has a good finger. Busby.

FIN'GER, v.i.

To dispose the fingers aptly in playing on an instrument. Busby.

FIN'GER, v.t.

1. To handle with the fingers; to touch lightly; to toy. The covetous man delights to finger money.
2. To touch or take thievishly; to pilfer. South.
3. To touch an instrument of music; to play on an instrument. Shak.
4. To perform work with the fingers; to execute delicate work.
5. To handle without violence. Bp. Hall.

FIN'GER-BOARD, n.

The board at the neck of a violin, guitar or the like, where the fingers act on the strings. Wood.

FIN'GER-ED, pp.

1. Played on; handled; touched.
2. adj. Having fingers. In botany, digitate; having leaflets like fingers.

FIN'GER-FERN, n.

A plant, asplenium. Johnson.