1. define:

[ME., a. Anglo-F. and OF. define-r to end, terminate, determine = Pr. definar; a Romanic parallel form to L. definire to end, terminate, bound (f. DE- I. 3 + finire to end, FINISH), whence It. definire, Sp. definir, Pr. and OF. defenir, definir. Definer, the common form in OF., is the only form given by Cotgr. 1611, and survives in Picard, but has been superseded in F. by définir, with adoption of the transferred senses of L. definire. In mod. English also define is in sense the representative of L. definire. A parallel form diffinire, with dis- (see DE- I. 6) is also found in Latin texts, and the forms diffiner, desfinir, diffinir (14-17th c.) in F.; thence the Eng. variants in deff-, diff-, dyff-.]

1. a. trans. To bring to an end. Also intr. To come to an end. Obs. rare.

b. To bring to an end (a controversy, etc.); to determine, decide, settle. Obs.

de- (I. 3):

3. Down to the bottom, completely; hence thoroughly on and on, away; also methodically, formally: as declamare to shout away, DECLAIM; declarare to make quite clear, DECLARE; denudare to strip quite bare, DENUDE; deplorare to weep as lost, DEPLORE; derelinquere to abandon completely, DERELICT; despoliare to spoil utterly, DESPOIL. b. To exhaustion, to the dregs: as decoquere to boil down or away, DECOCT; deliquescere to melt away, DELIQUESCE.

finite:

[ad. L. finit-us, pa. pple. of finire to put an end to, bound, limit, f. finis end, limit.]

Both define and finite tie back to 'to finish'.

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