finish
Meaning
to complete something or come to the end of an activity
to put a final surface on something, such as wood or metal, to protect it or make it look attractive
the final part or end of something
the appearance or texture of a surface after it has been treated
Structure
Usage
she was determined to finish the marathon despite the pain.
the carpenter will sand and varnish the table to give it a smooth finish.
the race had a thrilling finish, with the winner decided by a photo.
Etymology
the word 'finish' entered english in the late 14th century from the old french verb 'finiss-', the stem of 'finir', which means 'to stop, finish, come to an end'. this old french term is directly derived from the latin 'finire', a verb meaning 'to limit, set bounds, end', which itself originates from 'finis', the latin noun for 'end' or 'boundary'. the core semantic journey is from the concrete concept of a spatial or temporal boundary in latin to the abstract and general sense of bringing an activity to its conclusion. the '-ish' suffix, a common marker for forming verbs, was grafted onto the root in its french transmission, solidifying its grammatical role as an action word in english.
Analysis
fin (from latin 'finis', meaning 'end, boundary, limit', serving as the core root). ish (from old french -iss-, a verb-forming suffix, indicating the action of making or becoming).