Finely

How to spell finely

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce finely

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does finely mean?

1. adverbIn a delicate, precise, or thinly divided manner; to a high degree of refinement.

Finely in a sentence

• The recipe calls for finely chopped garlic and onion.

• The antique clock was finely engraved with tiny floral patterns.

Where does finely come from?

Language of origin: French

This adverb is built on the adjective 'fine', which English took from the Old French 'fin', meaning 'perfected' or 'of the highest quality'. That French word traces back to the Latin 'finis', literally 'an end' or 'boundary', and the sense developed because something brought to its 'end' or limit was seen as completed, finished, and therefore refined. By the 1300s 'fine' was firmly settled in English describing delicate, high-quality, or thinly worked things. The adverb 'finely' simply adds the native Old English ending '-lice' (modern '-ly'), which forms adverbs of manner, so the word means 'in a fine, delicate, or precise way'. The single 'l' is worth remembering, since the word is easily confused in writing with 'finally', the adverb of 'final', which carries an extra syllable and a different meaning.

How the word is built

• fine (refined, of high quality, from Latin finis 'end, boundary')
• -ly (adverb suffix)