Fine is a payment of money ordered by a court from a person who has been found guilty of violating a law. The word comes from the Latin finem facere, which means to put an end to. The term originated in England in 1275, when the courts began to permit convicts to be released from prison when they paid a required amount of money. A fine is often the punishment for a misdemeanor (minor crime). But a fine and a prison sentence can be the penalty for a major crime. People who cannot pay a fine assessed against them are usually ordered to serve a prison sentence.
