terminus

noun

ter·​mi·​nus ˈtər-mə-nəs 

plural termini ˈtər-mə-ˌnī  -ˌnē  or terminuses

1

: either end of a transportation line or travel route

also : the station, town, or city at such a place : terminal

2

: an extreme point or element : tip

the terminus of a glacier

3

: a final goal : a finishing point

4

: a post or stone marking a boundary

Did you know?

This word comes straight from Latin. In the Roman empire, a terminus was a boundary stone, and all boundary stones had a minor god associated with them, whose name was Terminus. Terminus was a kind of keeper of the peace, since wherever there was a terminus there could be no arguments about where your property ended and your neighbor's property began. So Terminus even had his own festival, the Terminalia, when images of the god were draped with flower garlands. Today the word shows up in all kinds of places, including in the name of numerous hotels worldwide built near a city's railway terminus.

Examples of terminus in a Sentence

Stockholm is the terminus for the southbound train.

Geologists took samples from the terminus of the glacier.

the terminus of the DNA strand

Recent Examples on the Web

At the southern terminus of Rossmore Avenue at Wilshire Boulevard, unceremoniously sandwiched between a couple of unremarkable low-rise office buildings stand two huge stone towers embellished with flamboyant Corinthian pilasters that mark the entrance to L.A.’s first gated community. —Mark David, Robb Report, 22 Nov. 2024

He’s accused of knifing victim Timothy Rudolph at the Stillwell Avenue station, the terminus for several Brooklyn subway lines, about 11:20 p.m. on Oct. 29, cops said. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 8 Nov. 2024

On the ground, the Colorado doesn't always make it to the Sea of Cortez, once its terminus. —Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 28 Oct. 2024

New Jersey chose me: I was born there and grew up on the Jersey Shore, just past the southern terminus of the Pine Barrens, where this story is set. —Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, boundary marker, limit — more at term entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1617, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing terminus

• terminus ad quem
• terminus a quo

Kids Definition

terminus

noun

ter·​mi·​nus ˈtər-mə-nəs 

plural termini -ˌnī 

-ˌnē

or terminuses

1

: final goal : finishing point

2

: a post or stone marking a boundary

3

a

: either end of a transportation line or travel route

b

: the station or town at such a place

Medical Definition

terminus

noun

ter·​mi·​nus ˈtər-mə-nəs 

plural termini -ˌnī  -ˌnē  also terminuses

: an end or ending especially of a molecular chain, a chromosome, or a process of a nerve cell