terminus
[tur-muh-nuh s]
- the end or extremity of anything.
- either end of a railroad line.
- British. the station or the town at the end of a railway or bus route.
- the point toward which anything tends; goal or end.
- a boundary or limit.
- a boundary post or stone.
- (initial capital letter) the ancient Roman god of boundaries and landmarks.
- term(def 10).
Show More
Origin of terminus
1545–55; < Latin: boundary, limit, end
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for termini
Contemporary Examples
New Jersey Transit has also been affected, with major stations and termini along the coast flooded and unusable.
Historical Examples
They are not strictly speaking ends or termini of action at all.
Human Nature and ConductJohn Dewey
Both of these have their termini at Sealdah, an eastern suburb of Calcutta.
With the detectives on duty at the London termini reinforced and on strict watch, her chances of doing so were very slim.
The Grell MysteryFrank Froest
Small places will also spring up at the mouth of the Wenatchie and the Okinagane, and at the termini of the steamboat landings.
A Report on Washington TerritoryWilliam Henry Ruffner
These termini, for the practical and the philosophical stages of thought respectively, are self-supporting.
Essays in Radical EmpiricismWilliam James
Terminus
- the Roman god of boundaries
Show More
terminus
- the last or final part or point
- either end of a railway, bus route, etc, or a station or town at such a point
- a goal aimed for
- a boundary or boundary marker
- architect another name for term (def. 10)
Show More
Word Origin
C16: from Latin: end; related to Greek termōn boundary
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 termini
terminus
n.
1550s, "goal, end, final point," from Latin terminus (plural termini) "end, boundary line," from PIE root *ter-, base of words meaning "peg, post, boundary, marker goal" (cf. Sanskrit tarati "passes over, crosses over," Hittite tarmaizzi "he limits," Greek terma "boundary, end, limit"). In ancient Rome, Terminus was the name of the deity who presided over boundaries and landmarks, focus of the important Roman festival of Terminalia (held Feb. 23, the end of the old Roman year). Meaning "either end of a transportation line" is first recorded 1836.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper