Meanings
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1
adj
having fins or resembling a fin
The fossil retained the finny outline of a small marine animal.
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2
adj
literary or poetic: relating to fish, consisting of fish, or abounding in fish
The poet hailed the whale as king of the finny people.
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3
noun
British slang, dated: a five-pound note or the sum of five pounds
The counterfeiter tried to pass a finny in a draper's shop.
Thesaurus
Etymology
The adjective is formed from fin and -y and has been used since the late sixteenth century for fin-bearing fish and, poetically, the world of fish. The unrelated British slang noun comes from fin, itself a slang term for a five-pound note.