Etymograph

English

fin

Fin comes from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pīn- ‘backbone, dorsal fin’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pīn-1‘backbone, dorsal fin’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*finnō1reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150finn1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fin1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1839fin1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English fin
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1839, Dearden's Miscellany: “"Done say I to that, Reuben, tip me your…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pīn-Wiktionary, English fin‘backbone, dorsal fin’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*finnōWiktionary, English finreconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150finnWiktionary, English fin
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500finWiktionary, English fin
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1839finWiktionary, English fin. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1839, Dearden's Miscellany: “"Done say I to that, Reuben, tip me your…”

Linked words

through Middle English fin

fine

Another origin of fin

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pénkʷe‘five’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*fimf‘five’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*fimf‘five’reconstructed
  4. Old High Germanc. 750–1050fimf‘five’
  5. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350vünf
  6. Yiddishmodernפֿינףfinf‘five’
  7. Englishtodayfin

Today it means

noun One of the appendages of a fish, used to propel itself and to manoeuvre/maneuver.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “fin”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)pīn- / fin

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