Etymology Explorer › English

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
4Latinfīniō—
5Latinfīnis—
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰnh₂-—

Words derived from “finish”

  • finisher
  • refinish
  • unfinishable
  • finisht
  • refinisher
  • unfinish
  • finisheth
  • photofinisher
  • unfinisht
  • finishable
  • finishment
  • microfinish
  • finishest
  • fotofinish
  • финиш
  • finishen
  • finish
  • finiš
  • финиш
  • finish
  • finiş
  • finiš
  • finiş
  • pinisim
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰnh₂- →