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

The Blue Line light rail would be extended from its I-485 terminus to Pineville. —Alexandria Sands, Axios, 22 Jan. 2025

Advertisement The preliminary epicenter of Monday’s earthquake, recorded at 10:04 a.m., was near the corner of Valley Boulevard and Grand View Drive in Alhambra, just a few blocks from the northern terminus of the 710 Freeway and a few blocks east of the city limits of Los Angeles. —Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024

The best scenic ogling opportunities happen in the first 2.5 miles from the north terminus along Forest Road 618 near the community of Lake Montezuma. —Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 3 Jan. 2025

The tour will feature information on the history of the station and why the first terminus of the railroad in America was located in Ellicott City. —Janet Kusterer, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2025

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