Finalis

Finalis is a Latin adjective meaning related to an end, final, or terminal. In English-language scholarship, it appears primarily in Latin phrases or as part of technical terms rather than as a common word. The form is derived from finis, meaning end, and follows the typical Latin -alis adjective pattern.

In philosophy and the history of science, finalis is most often encountered through the concept of causa finalis, or the final cause, a term used in Aristotelian and scholastic thought to denote an end or purpose toward which a process or thing is directed. Distinctions among final causes, efficient causes, formal causes, and material causes have been central to teleological explanations of natural phenomena.

In biology, medicine, and related fields, finalis is less common in contemporary usage. Modern English-language texts typically prefer terms such as terminal, terminus, or distal to describe end-position or end-stage features. When finalis does appear, it is usually within historical, translational, or Latinized phrases and may indicate a feature at the end of a structure or process, rather than a standard modern term.

Outside philosophy, finalis can also appear in older anatomical or descriptive Latin descriptions. In those contexts, its meaning aligns with “end-related,” but modern terminology has largely replaced its routine use with more specific terms.

See also: causa finalis, terminal, terminus, distal.