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

Inspired by the flavors of the historic Silk Road, whose western terminus was Istanbul, Gallada is one of the buzziest restaurants to have opened in the city over the past year. —Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2024

What was then Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley was considered and rejected as the system’s southern terminus, mainly over the need to remove a gasoline tank farm across Friars Road from the stadium. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2024

Fairyland Park: 1923-1977 Fairyland Park operated on 80 acres at the southern terminus of the Prospect Avenue streetcar line at 75th Street from 1923 to 1977. —Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024

As the trail nears its terminus at FR 618, tree cover increases with a dusting of piñon pine joining the mix of mesquite, scrub oak and sharp-spined crucifixion thorn. —Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 18 Jan. 2024

The best place to start a Route 66 adventure is perhaps at its eastern terminus, Chicago. —Claire Trageser, Travel + Leisure, 16 Aug. 2023

Start at La Estación Central del Ferrocarril, a grand 19th-century train terminus whose museum (10,000 guaraníes) displays steam locomotives and rusty machinery (Paraguay’s rail network has sadly fallen into disuse). —Laurence Blair, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024

Schenk said momentum continued to grow behind the airport as the terminus because people were already frustrated by the lack of transit at the airport. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2024

The flow of water was ferocious — some 65,000 cubic feet per second at the terminus of the L.A. River’s flood control system. —Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 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