Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “final” come from?

Final comes from Middle English final, from Old French final, from Latin finalis, derived from Latin finis meaning "end" or "boundary," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeygʷ-.

final (English): A final examination; a test or examination given...

Definitions

  1. A final examination; a test or examination given...

Ancestry of “final”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfinal—
2Old Frenchfinalfinal, definitive, last
3Latinfīnālis—
4Latin-ālis—
5Proto-Italic-ālis—

Words derived from “final”

  • finalize
  • finalist
  • finalise
  • semifinal
  • finalizer
  • finalism
  • nonfinal
  • quarterfinal
  • finalizable
  • wordfinal
  • postfinal
  • prefinal
  • equifinal
  • cofinal
  • unfinal
  • superfinal
  • cofinality
  • prefinalist
  • nonfinalist
  • cofinally
  • quarter-finalist
  • finaliser
  • octavofinal
  • semifinalis
Every word from Proto-Italic -ālis →