Where does “finish” come from?

Finish comes from Middle English finishen, from Old French finiss-, with the ultimate meaning and origin of the Old French term unknown.

finish (English): An end; the end of anything; A protective coating...

Definitions

  1. An end; the end of anything; A protective coating...

Ancestry of “finish”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfinishen
2Old Frenchfiniss-
3Old FrenchfinirAlternative form of finer
4Latinfīniōto finish, terminate
5Latinfīnisend
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰnh₂-

Words derived from “finish

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰnh₂-