Today I had just finished filling out the 영업팀 Notion sheet, and as I usually do, I had kept a bit of text at the very bottom of the sheet to be able to move blocks around and possibly to the bottom of the sheet.
Instead of having asdf at the bottom—the most boring placeholder text you can imagine, I know—I wanted to have something that spoke more character, more curious. I did some chatting with Gemini and came across explicitus and finis. The latter definitely jumped out at me, and after cross-referencing it with Perplexity, I decided to go with finis.
One of Perplexity’s explanations were as follows (copied in full):
Yes, the Latin word “Finis” was widely used to mark the end of books, manuscripts, and other written works. The term comes from Latin “fīnis” meaning “end” or “limit” and was commonly placed at the conclusion of texts from the 15th to 19th centuries14.
“Finis” served as a clear indicator that the reader had reached the end of the work. It was often the last word printed in a book5, functioning similarly to how we might use “The End” in modern works. The practice dates back to medieval manuscript culture and continued well into the print era.
In Latin texts, “fīnis” could be used in various contexts beyond just marking the end of a document. It also meant “boundary,” “limit,” “border,” or “purpose”3. The Latin phrase “Finis coronat opus” (The end crowns the work) was a common expression related to this term3.
The word appears in numerous historical texts, including works by James Joyce (1922) and Frederick Marryat (1836)1. Its usage in English dates back to the Middle English period (1150-1500), with the earliest evidence recorded around 14602.
That quote jumped out at me as well. What a beautiful quote! And my second thought was: “Hey, wouldn’t the Korean equivalent be ‘유종의 미를 거두다’?”
I was satisfied with my answer, but even more thrilled to come across such a neat little expression!!
Citations:
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/finis
- https://www.oed.com/dictionary/finis_n
- https://ancientlanguages.org/latin/dictionary/finis-finis
- https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/finis
- https://www.etymonline.com/word/finis
- https://dictozo.com/w/finis
- https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2000/2000.02.15/
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/explorations-in-latin-literature/hic-finis-fandi-on-the-absence-of-punctuation-for-the-endings-and-beginnings-of-speeches-in-latin-poetic-texts/4A2E3F8E282EA7A47FB31141C4EBB410
- https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095818947?p=emailA6ut.AXUeMRcA&d=%2F10.1093%2Foi%2Fauthority.20110803095818947
- https://www.dictionary.com/browse/finis
- https://glosbe.com/la/en/finis
- https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095818947?p=emailA%2F4L5wEyJK1To&d=%2F10.1093%2Foi%2Fauthority.20110803095818947
- https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9520130-the-latin-word-finis-has-two-meanings-the-end-or
- http://iteadthomam.blogspot.com/2009/10/object-and-end-of-human-act-finis.html
- https://www.etymonline.com/word/finish
Other sources: