What is "fin"

Fin \Fin\ (f[i^]n), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Finned; p. pr. & vb. n. Finning.] [Cf. Fin of a fish.] To carve or cut up, as a chub.

Fin \Fin\, n. [See Fine, n.] End; conclusion; object. [Obs.] ``She knew eke the fin of his intent.''
--Chaucer.

Fin \Fin\, n.[OE. finne, fin, AS. finn; akin to D. vin, G. & Dan. finne, Sw. fena, L. pinna, penna, a wing, feather. Cf. pen a feather.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) An organ of a fish, consisting of a membrane supported by rays, or little bony or cartilaginous ossicles, and serving to balance and propel it in the water.

   Note: Fishes move through the water chiefly by means of the caudal fin or tail, the principal office of the other fins being to balance or direct the body, though they are also, to a certain extent, employed in producing motion.

2. (Zo["o]l.) A membranous, finlike, swimming organ, as in pteropod and heteropod mollusks.

3. A finlike organ or attachment; a part of an object or product which protrudes like a fin, as:

   1. The hand. [Slang]

   2. (Com.) A blade of whalebone. [Eng.]
      --McElrath.

   3. (Mech.) A mark or ridge left on a casting at the junction of the parts of a mold.

   4. (Mech.) The thin sheet of metal squeezed out between the collars of the rolls in the process of rolling.
      --Raymond.

   5. (Mech.) A feather; a spline.

4. A finlike appendage, as to submarine boats.

5. (A["e]ronautics) A fixed stabilizing surface, usually vertical, similar in purpose to a bilge keel on a ship.

   Apidose fin. (Zo["o]l.) See under Adipose, a.

   Fin ray (Anat.), one of the hornlike, cartilaginous, or bony, dermal rods which form the skeleton of the fins of fishes.

   Fin whale (Zo["o]l.), a finback.

   Paired fins (Zo["o]l.), the pectoral and ventral fins, corresponding to the fore and hind legs of the higher animals.

   Unpaired fins, or Median fins (Zo["o]l.), the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins.

Old English finn "fin," from Proto-Germanic *finno (cognates: Middle Low German vinne, Dutch vin), perhaps from Latin pinna "feather, wing" (see pin (n.)); or, less likely, from Latin spina "thorn, spine" (see spine).\n

\nU.S. underworld slang sense of "$5 bill" is 1925, from Yiddish finif "five," from German fünf (see five) and thus unrelated. The same word had been used in England in 1868 to mean "five pound note" (earlier finnip, 1839).

Etymology 1 n. (context ichthyology English) One of the appendages of a fish, used to propel itself and to manoeuvre/maneuver. vb. 1 (senseid en cut fins)(context transitive English) To cut the fins from a fish, shark, etc. 2 (context intransitive English) To swim in the manner of a fish. 3 (context transitive English) To provide (a motor vehicle etc) with fins. Etymology 2

n. (context US slang English) A five-dollar bill.

1. n. the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one [syn: five, 5, V, cinque, quint, quintet, fivesome, quintuplet, pentad, Phoebe, Little Phoebe]

2. one of a pair of decorations projecting above the rear fenders of an automobile [syn: tail fin, tailfin]

3. one of a set of parallel slats in a door or window to admit air and reject rain [syn: louver, louvre]

4. a shoe for swimming; the paddle-like front is an aid in swimming (especially underwater) [syn: flipper, flippers, fins]

5. a stabilizer that resembles the fins of a fish

6. organ of locomotion and balance in fishes and some other aquatic animals

7. [also: finning, finned]

1. v. equip (a car) with fins

2. propel oneself through the water in a finning motion

3. show the fins above the water while swimming; "The sharks were finning near the surface" [syn: break water]

4. [also: finning, finned]

Fín was an Irish Princess, who lived during the 7th century. She was a daughter or granddaughter of Colmán Rímid (died 604) of Cenél nEógain.

She formed some sort of marriage with Oswiu of Northumbria (c. 612 – 15 February 670), by whom she had Aldfrith (d. 14 December 704/705),

Fin is a troll in a legend from Kalundborg, Zealand, Denmark. The legend also exists in Sweden, but it instead has a giant from Lund, with the name Jätten Finn ("Finn the Giant").

Fin is a surface used to produce lift and thrust or to steer while traveling in water, air, or other fluid media.

Fin or Fins may also refer to:

"Fin" is a song from British rock band Supergrass' 2005 album, Road to Rouen. It was released on 2 January 2006 as the third single from the album (see 2006 in music). It was only available as a 7" and digital download, and only charted in the UK at #111.

The song is a very slow and gentle ballad, with 'watery' effects over the vocals.

The Fin is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Golden Age Fin has elements of both the swashbuckling pirate and superhero genres.

fiN is a British rock band formed in South West London, Surrey, England in 2011. The band consists of Luke Joyce (Vocals/Guitar) Jonny Garner (Guitar), Kerry Lambert (Bass) and Simon Harding (Drums). fiN began releasing music in October 2011 with a debut Double A side single The Artisan/It Changes Everything (2011); The band were quickly labeled as the Heaviest Indie band around and are likened to Foo fighters, dEUS (band) & Radiohead.

Fin (stylized as ƒIN) is the debut album by Barcelona-based producer John Talabot, released on February 14, 2012.

In the study of heat transfer, fins are surfaces that extend from an object to increase the rate of heat transfer to or from the environment by increasing convection. The amount of conduction, convection, or radiation of an object determines the amount of heat it transfers. Increasing the temperature gradient between the object and the environment, increasing the convection heat transfer coefficient, or increasing the surface area of the object increases the heat transfer. Sometimes it is not feasible or economical to change the first two options. Thus, adding a fin to an object, increases the surface area and can sometimes be an economical solution to heat transfer problems.

Fins are narrow, residual walls of hard sedimentary rock (e.g., sandstone, limestone) that remain upright after adjacent rock has been eroded away along systematic parallel joints or fractures on either side. (They are named by analogy with a fish's dorsal fin, which they resemble.)

A fin is typically formed when a narrow butte or plateau develops a series of vertical cracks in a parallel pattern (often due to tensional stresses along anticlinal or monoclinal fold axes). Differential water erosion, sometimes as part of a freeze-thaw cycle, opens the cracks wider and wider over time. Where two or more fins are present, a slot canyon may be formed between them. A wall left standing in between two slot canyons may be termed a fin. Alternatively, an entirely isolated single fin may develop where a rock stratum is notably harder (more resistant to weathering) relative to neighboring strata.

Fins are considered an intermediary stage in the formation of other striking erosional features including alcoves, windows and arches; these are natural holes that form along cracks and weak spots in the sides of fins. Myriads of fins, and more advanced erosional features, may be seen at Arches National Park in Utah, US.

[[ formation-Big.jpg|thumb|620px|center|

Progressive erosion producing plateau, fin, window (or arch),
and hoodoos (or spires).]]

Rock fins and arches are believed to form slowly over long periods of time by physical and chemical weathering. Four steps are proposed: (1) uplift that causes deep vertical, parallel fractures to form; (2) weathering and erosion that enlarge fractures resulting in narrow walls or fins; (3) continuing erosion with some fins breached from below; and (4) continued weathering that enlarges the holes and eventually causes the arch to collapse, forming spires or hoodoos.