terminus ad quem

American  

[ter-mi-noos ahd kwem, tur-muh-nuhs ad kwem] / ˈtɛr mɪˌnʊs ɑd ˈkwɛm, ˈtɜr mə nəs æd ˈkwɛm /

noun

Latin.

1. the end to which; aim; goal; final or latest limiting point.

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terminus ad quem British  

/ ˈtɜːmɪˌnʊs æd ˈkwɛm /

noun

1. the aim or terminal point

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Etymology

Origin of terminus ad quem

literally: the end to which

Example Sentences

Progress does not shut out finality; it only makes each new finality a point of departure for a new adventure, not a terminus ad quem for a conclusive stop.

From Christianity and Progress by Fosdick, Harry Emerson

The two termini of the importation, here spoken of, are a foreign country and the American Union—the first the terminus a quo, the second the terminus ad quem.

From American Eloquence, Volume 2 Studies In American Political History (1896) by Johnston, Alexander

Contemned though they may be by some thinkers, these sensations are the mother-earth, the anchorage, the stable rock, the first and last limits, the terminus a quo and the terminus ad quem of the mind.

From Personality in Literature by Scott-James, Rolfe Arnold

The main object of our trip down the River of Barks—the terminus ad quem of the expedition, so to speak—was a bear.

From The Ruling Passion; tales of nature and human nature by Van Dyke, Henry

Cognition, whenever we take it concretely, means determinate 'ambulation,' through intermediaries, from a terminus a quo to, or towards, a terminus ad quem.

From Meaning of Truth by James, William