term

[turm]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR term ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a word or group of words designating something, especially in a particular field, as atom in physics, quietism in theology, adze in carpentry, or district leader in politics.

any word or group of words considered as a member of a construction or utterance.

the time or period through which something lasts.

a period of time to which limits have been set: elected for a term of four years.

one of two or more divisions of a school year, during which instruction is regularly provided.

an appointed or set time or date, as for the payment of rent, interest, wages, etc.

terms,

conditions with regard to payment, price, charge, rates, wages, etc.: reasonable terms.
conditions or stipulations limiting what is proposed to be granted or done: the terms of a treaty.
footing or standing; relations: on good terms with someone.
Obsolete.state, situation, or circumstances.

Algebra, Arithmetic.

each of the members of which an expression, a series of quantities, or the like, is composed, as one of two or more parts of an algebraic expression.
a mathematical expression of the form axp, axpyq, etc., where a, p, and q are numbers and x and y are variables.

Logic.

the subject or predicate of a categorical proposition.
the word or expression denoting the subject or predicate of a categorical proposition.

Also called terminus. a figure, especially of Terminus, in the form of a herm, used by the ancient Romans as a boundary marker; terminal figure.

Law.

an estate or interest in land or the like, to be enjoyed for a fixed period.
the duration of an estate.
each of the periods during which certain courts of law hold their sessions.

completion of pregnancy; parturition.

Archaic.

end, conclusion, or termination.
boundary or limit.

verb (used with object)

to apply a particular term or name to; name; call; designate.

Idioms

bring to terms, to force to agree to stated demands or conditions; bring into submission: After a long struggle, we brought them to terms.

come to terms,

to reach an agreement; make an arrangement: to come to terms with a creditor.
to become resigned or accustomed: to come to terms with one's life.

eat one's terms, British Informal. to study for the bar; be a law student.

in terms of, with regard to; concerning: The book offers nothing in terms of a satisfactory conclusion.

Origin of term

1175–1225; Middle English terme < Old French < Latin terminus boundary, limit, end; akin to Greek térmōn limit

Related formsterm·ly, adverbhalf-term, nounin·ter·term, adjectivemis·term, verb (used with object)

term.

terminal.

termination.

term of art

noun

a word or phrase that has a specific or precise meaning within a given discipline or field and might have a different meaning in common usage: Set is a term of art used by mathematicians, and burden of proof is a term of art used by lawyers.

Related Words for term

phrase, style, word, name, language, course, duration, session, time, phase, quarter, dub, describe, call, appellation, head, moniker, designation, title, locution

Examples from the Web for term

Contemporary Examples of term

But on Thursday Boxer triggered a Golden State political earthquake, announcing that she would not seek a fifth term in 2016.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races
David Freedlander
January 9, 2015
Term limits could be a prescription to speed change along.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress
Dean Obeidallah
January 8, 2015
Wrapees was the term marines used for the Japanese because they had wrapping round their legs.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
This was later repurposed in Europe as an explanation for racial superiority, and the term “Aryan” came to define a white race.
The Himalayas’ Hidden Aryans
Nina Strochlic
January 3, 2015
He won re-election twice as governor of New York, and had the hubris to run for a fourth term before being defeated in 1994.
Mario Cuomo, a Frustrating Hero to Democrats, Is Dead at 82
Eleanor Clift
January 2, 2015

Historical Examples of term

This was my position on the plantation a short time after school was out for the term.
Biography of a Slave
Charles Thompson
I made no objection, and was duly hired for the term of three years.
Biography of a Slave
Charles Thompson
Now, she quickened her pace, anxious for the plunge that should set the term to sorrow.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
The bread was genuine homemade, a term so often misused in the cities.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
It is national in the broadest sense of the term, and primative and forcible to intensity.
Ridgeway
Scian Dubh

British Dictionary definitions for term

term

noun

a name, expression, or word used for some particular thing, esp in a specialized field of knowledgea medical term

any word or expression

a limited period of timehis second term of office; a prison term

any of the divisions of the academic year during which a school, college, etc, is in session

a point in time determined for an event or for the end of a period

Also called: full term the period at which childbirth is imminent

law

an estate or interest in land limited to run for a specified perioda term of years
the duration of an estate, etc
(formerly) a period of time during which sessions of courts of law were held
time allowed to a debtor to settle

maths either of the expressions the ratio of which is a fraction or proportion, any of the separate elements of a sequence, or any of the individual addends of a polynomial or series

logic

the word or phrase that forms either the subject or predicate of a proposition
a name or variable, as opposed to a predicate
one of the relata of a relation
any of the three subjects or predicates occurring in a syllogism

Also called: terminal, terminus, terminal figure architect a sculptured post, esp one in the form of an armless bust or an animal on the top of a square pillar

Australian rules football the usual word for quarter (def. 10)

archaic a boundary or limit

verb

(tr) to designate; callhe was termed a thief

Word Origin for term

C13: from Old French terme, from Latin terminus end

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for term

early 13c., terme "limit in time, set or appointed period," from Old French terme "limit of time or place" (11c.), from Latin terminus "end, boundary line," related to termen "boundary, end" (see terminus). Old English had termen "term, end," from Latin. Sense of "period of time during which something happens" first recorded c.1300, especially of a school or law court session (mid-15c.).

The meaning "word or phrase used in a limited or precise sense" is first recorded late 14c., from Medieval Latin use to render Greek horos "boundary," employed in mathematics and logic. Meaning "completion of the period of pregnancy" is from 1844. Term-paper in U.S. educational sense is recorded from 1931.

"to give a particular name to," mid-16c., from term (n.). Related: Termed; terming.

term in Medicine