Picture a line of things in order — steps, events, or parts of a story — and your eye lands on the very last one, the one with nothing after it. 'Final' is that end-of-the-line spot: once you reach it, the line stops.
From the word’s history
From Latin 'finalis', from 'finis' meaning 'end, boundary' — the same root behind 'finish' and 'finite'. The modern core 'last in the line' sits right on that original 'the end' picture.
源自拉丁文 finalis，來自 finis，意思是「結束、邊界」——和 finish、finite 同一個字根。今天「排在最後」的核心畫面，正好就落在這個「終點、盡頭」的原意上。
Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), 'final'
登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。
原始詞典資料11 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
finalnoun/ˈfaɪnl̩/
- 1
A final examination; a test or examination given at the end of a term or class; the test that concludes a class.
- It was tough cramming for those midterms and finals, staying up 72 hours straight hepped up on caffeine and pizza.
- 2
A final examination taken at the end of the final year of an undergraduate course, which contributes towards a student's degree classification.
- 3
hobbieslifestylesportsThe last round, game or match in a contest, after which the winner is determined.
- 4
human-scienceslinguisticsphonologyThe final part of a syllable, the combination of medial and rime in phonetics and phonology.
- 5
entertainmentlifestylemusicThe tonic or keynote of a Gregorian mode, and hence the final note of any conventional melody played in that mode.
finaladj/ˈfaɪnl̩/
- 1
Last; ultimate.
- final solution; the final day of a school term
- Yet despair not of his final pardon.
- 2
Conclusive; decisive.
- a final judgment; the battle of Waterloo brought the contest to a final issue
- 3
Respecting an end or object to be gained; respecting the purpose or ultimate end in view.
- 4
grammarhuman-scienceslinguisticsExpressing purpose; as in the term final clause.
- 5
human-scienceslinguisticssciencesWord-final; occurring at the end of a word.
- Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
finalverb/ˈfaɪnl̩/
- 1
hobbieslifestylesportsTo qualify for the final round of a competition.
- Mike finalled in both the 400 meter and the 800 meter races.
- Early in his swimming career, Baker finaled in the 200 fly at both the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Trials and was a two-time Pacific 10 Champion in the event for the University of Arizona.
摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。