fine tuningn.
/ˌfʌɪn ˈtjuːnɪŋ/, /ˌfʌɪn ˈtʃuːnɪŋ/, U.S. /ˌfaɪn ˈt(j)unɪŋ/ 1. The action or process of tuning a musical instrument very precisely, so as to play at exactly the correct pitch; an instance of this.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > tuning or intonation > [noun] > fine tuning
fine tuning1856
1856 Catal. 8th Exhib. Inventions in Jrnl. Soc. Arts 4 App. I. 40/2 Portable machine for tuning, arranged to give nine times the power of the hand for fine tuning.
1894 T. Elliston (title) Organs and tuning..being a treatise on the construction, mechanism, and fine tuning of the instrument.
1921 G. A. Audsley Organ-stops 93 If the pipes are properly cut to length, only fine tuning will be necessary.
1998 St. Petersburg (Florida) Times (Nexis) 28 Feb. (Clearwater Times section) 2 (caption) At back is a viola that is awaiting fine-tuning.
2008 Clavier Sept. 47/1 Bill Goodfellow, my technician, gave the piano a fine tuning.
2. Originally: the action or process of making minor adjustments to a radio in order to receive or broadcast on specific frequencies. In later use more generally: the action or process of making minor adjustments to a device, apparatus, etc., in order to achieve a precise setting or calibration.
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society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > [noun] > tuning or mistuning
tuning1899
tune1909
mistuning1914
fine tuning1915
synchronization1932
synchronizing1943
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > adaptation or adjustment > [noun] > adjustment for accuracy or smooth operation
squaring1838
truing1852
tuning1863
calibrating1897
fine tuning1915
tune-up1933
tune1971
tweaking1975
1915 Radiotelegraphy (U.S. Signal Corps) (rev. ed.) 118 On each coil there are contacts, 0 to 24, for tuning to different wave lengths, the dial nearest to the binding post ‘A’ being connected to the large primary for large changes in wave length and the other to the small one for small changes and fine tuning.
1959 K. Henney Radio Engin. Handbk. (ed. 5) xix. 45 Tuning by means of push buttons offers freedom from fine tuning.
1985 Sci. Amer. Apr. 104/2 Parsons..equipped his governor with a fine-tuning mechanism that depended directly on the dynamo voltage.
2014 C. Renée James Sci. Unshackled ii. 21 With the proper arrangement and fine-tuning of mirrors and detectors, Michelson and Morley figured it should be possible to change the light beams' interference pattern.
3. The action or process of making a series of minor adjustments to something in order to achieve the best or a desired performance; (Economics) the policy or process of making a series of minor changes in monetary and fiscal policy in order to maintain a stable level of aggregate demand, usually that associated with full employment.
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the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > improvement > [noun] > slight improvement
touching1957
fine tuning1962
1962 Rev. Econ. & Statistics 44 422/1 Open market operations in government securities..can be carried out..without the inconvenience that would accompany the attempt to accomplish the same continual ‘fine tuning’ of the money market by means of variations in reserve requirements.
1966 Financial Times 14 Oct. 3/2 Mr. Okun..argued..that the U.S. economy might require ‘fine tuning’ through extremely short-term and highly selective tax increases.
1976 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 29 Nov. 6/3 God may have fashioned us all in His image but does that mean we shouldn't do a little fine-tuning of our own?
1983 National Westm. Bank Q. Rev. Feb. 33 The time has come to abandon the concept of fine tuning involving very detailed management of the national economy by means of fiscal policy measures.
2008 S. Field Ferguson Career Coach: Managing your Career in Health Care Industry 71/2 Do your negotiation skills need fine-tuning?
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1856