Finite

How to spell finite

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce finite

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does finite mean?

1. adjectiveHaving limits or bounds; not infinite, and therefore measurable or countable.
2. adjectiveIn grammar, describing a verb form that is marked for tense, person, and number.

Finite in a sentence

• The planet holds only a finite supply of fresh water.

• The editor noted that the clause lacked a finite verb.

• Every project runs on a finite budget that managers must respect.

• A main clause must contain a finite form such as 'walks' or 'walked'.

Where does finite come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin finitus, the past participle of the verb finire, which meant 'to limit', 'to set bounds to', or 'to bring to an end'. That verb was built on the noun finis, meaning 'end', 'boundary', or 'limit', the same root that gives us 'final', 'finish', and 'confine'. English adopted finite in the late 1400s with the sense of something bounded or having a definite measure, the opposite of being endless. The closely related 'infinite' simply adds the negative prefix in-, meaning 'not', so the two words sit either side of the same idea of a limit. A useful spelling note is that the stressed long 'i' in finite (rhyming with 'night') shifts to a short, unstressed vowel in infinite, which is why the words feel less obviously connected than they really are.

How the word is built

• fin (from finis: end, limit, boundary)
• -ite (adjective suffix)