Finer

How to spell finer

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce finer

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does finer mean?

1. adjectiveOf higher quality, more refined, or more delicate than something else being compared.

Finer in a sentence

• The tailored suit was made from a finer wool than the off-the-rack version.

• A finer grade of sandpaper leaves a smoother surface on the wood.

Where does finer come from?

Language of origin: French

This is the comparative form of the adjective 'fine', which English took from the Old French 'fin', meaning 'perfect', 'refined', or 'of the highest quality'. The French word traces back to the Latin 'finis', literally 'an end' or 'a boundary', and the sense shifted from 'finished' or 'brought to completion' toward 'polished' and 'excellent', since something carried fully to its end was seen as perfected. 'Fine' arrived in English in the 1200s and quickly gathered a wide spread of meanings, from delicate and thin to admirable and pure. The comparative is built simply by adding the regular '-er' ending, but because 'fine' already ends in a silent 'e', only an 'r' is appended, giving the spelling 'finer'. That silent 'e' is precisely the spelling cue: it keeps the long 'i' sound and explains why the word is not written 'finner' with a doubled consonant.

How the word is built

• fine (from Latin finis: end, boundary, hence refined or excellent)
• -r (comparative suffix, contracted from -er after a silent final e)