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

Why Charlotte’s light rail does not use gates Charlotte uses an open proof of payment fare system for the light rail, which runs from UNC Charlotte at its northern end to near Interstate 485 at its southern terminus. —Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025

Since cable cars can’t reverse, operators must physically turn each car on a revolving wooden turntable at the terminus. —Maggie Downs, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025

The nearly two-square-mile landmass was left surrounded by the waters of Alsek Lake after the glacier of the same name, which once encircled a small mountain known as Prow Knob near its terminus, lost contact with the mountain this summer. —Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025

Visit both or just browse their stall at the gourmet marketplace and mall that’s been carved out of the onetime water terminus, the Ferry Building. —Chloe Arrojado, AFAR Media, 21 Aug. 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

Rhymes for terminus

• conterminous
• coterminous

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