A forge or furnace where iron is refined; an archaic metallurgical term for a workshop where raw iron is made pure.
From fine (meaning 'to purify') plus -ary (a place of). An obsolete technical term from medieval metalworking, from Old French fin 'fine' or 'pure.'
Finaries were where raw ore became treasure—they were jealously guarded medieval sites because controlling iron refinement meant controlling weapons, wealth, and power.
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