finial
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finial
- /ˈfɪn.i.əl/ UK
- /ˈfaɪ-/ UK
- /ˈfɪn.i.əl/ US
Where it comes from
From Late Middle English finial (“(adjective) final; (noun) ornament at the upper extremity of a pinnacle, spire, etc.”) [and other forms], a variant of final (“pertaining to the close or end of something, last, final”), from Old French final (“last, final; definitive”) (modern French final), from Latin fīnālis (“of or pertaining to the end of something, final; of or pertaining to boundaries”), from fīnis (“a border; an end”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“to split”) or *dʰeygʷ- (“to set up; to stick”)) + -ālis (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining’ to forming adjectives).
noun finials
- Especially in Gothic architecture: an ornament, often in the form of a bunch or knot of foliage, on the peak of the gable of a roof, a pediment, a pinnacle, etc. His [Butades'] invention it vvas to ſet up Gargils or Antiques at the top of a Gavill end, as a finiall to the creſt tiles, vvhich in the beginning he called Protypa.
- Any decorative fitting on the corner, end, or top of an object such as a canopy, a fencepost, a flagpole, a curtain rod, or the newel post of a staircase. The finial is also of timber (probably oak) and is of the rather elaborate type, originally favoured by the London & South Western Railway for its timber masts.
- The completion or end of something. But, as the Phœnix on my Front doth gliſter, / Thou ſhalt the Finials of my Frame illuſtre.
Translations
Every language
noun ornament, often in the form of a bunch or knot of foliage, on the peak of the gable of a roof, etc.
| Español | fastigio |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 頂華 chōge |
| 中文 | 葉尖飾 /叶尖饰 yèjiānshì |
| Français | fleuron, finial |
| Deutsch | Firstblume, Dachschmuck, Giebelblume, Giebelschmuck, Kreuzblume |
| Italiano | fastigio |
| Русский | фиал fial |
| Tiếng Việt | một năm |
noun any decorative fitting on the corner, end, or top of an object
| 日本語 | 先端装飾 sentan sōshoku |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 尖頂飾 /尖顶饰 jiāndǐngshì |
| Français | épi de faîtage, poinçon, embout |
Talk about this word "finial." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/finial. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. finial. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/finial "finial." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/finial.Cite this
@misc{finial_2026,
title = {finial},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/finial},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
