terminus

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: ter=mi=nus

CIDE DICTIONARY

terminus, n. [L. See Term.].

•  Literally, a boundary; a border; a limit.  [1913 Webster]
•  The Roman divinity who presided over boundaries, whose statue was properly a short pillar terminating in the bust of a man, woman, satyr, or the like, but often merely a post or stone stuck in the ground on a boundary line.  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence, any post or stone marking a boundary; a term. See Term, 8.  [1913 Webster]
•  Either end of a railroad line; also, the station house, or the town or city, at that place.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

terminus, n. (pl. termini or terminuses)
1 a station at the end of a railway or bus route.
2 a point at the end of a pipeline etc.
3 a final point, a goal.
4 a starting-point.
5 Math. the end-point of a vector etc.
6 Archit. a figure of a human bust or an animal ending in a square pillar from which it appears to spring, orig. as a boundary-marker.

Idiom

terminus ad quem the finishing-point of an argument, policy, period, etc. terminus ante quem the finishing-point of a period. terminus a quo the starting-point of an argument, policy, period, etc. terminus post quem the starting-point of a period.

Etymology

L, = end, limit, boundary

THESAURUS

terminus

L, Z, anchorage, apodosis, border line, bound, boundary, boundary condition, boundary line, bourn, branch, break boundary, breakoff point, cable railway, catastrophe, cease, ceasing, ceiling, cessation, circumscription, close, coda, cog railway, compass, completing, completion, conclusion, confine, consummation, crack of doom, culmination, curtain, curtains, cutoff, cutoff point, deadline, death, decease, delimitation, denouement, desistance, destination, destiny, determinant, division line, doom, effect, el, electric railway, elevated, elevated railway, embankment, end, end point, ending, envoi, epilogue, eschatology, expiration, extremity, fate, feeder, feeder line, final solution, final twitch, final words, finale, finality, finis, finish, finishing, floor, frontier, full development, goal, gravity-operated railway, harbor, haven, hedge, high-water mark, horse railway, interface, izzard, junction, last, last breath, last gasp, last stop, last things, last trumpet, last words, latter end, light railroad, limen, limit, limitation, limiting factor, line, line of demarcation, low-water mark, lower limit, main line, march, mark, maturation, maturity, mete, metro, monorail, omega, payoff, perfection, period, peroration, port, quietus, rack railway, rack-and-pinion railway, rail, rail line, railroad, railway, resolution, resting place, ripeness, roadbed, roadway, rounding off, rounding out, sidetrack, siding, start, starting line, starting point, stop, stoppage, stopping place, street railway, streetcar line, subway, swan song, switchback, target date, term, terminal, terminal date, terminal point, termination, threshold, time allotment, topping off, track, tram, tramline, trestle, trolley line, trunk, trunk line, tube, turnout, underground, upper limit, windup

ROGET THESAURUS

terminus

End

N end, close, termination, desinence, conclusion, finis, finale, period, term, terminus, endpoint, last, omega, extreme, extremity, gable end, butt end, fag-end, tip, nib, point, tail, verge, tag, peroration, bonne bouche, bottom dollar, tail end, rear guard, consummation, denouement, finish, fate, doom, doomsday, crack of doom, day of Judgment, dies irae, fall of the curtain, goal, destination, limit, determination, expiration, expiry, extinction, extermination, death, end of all things, finality, eschatology, break up, commencement de la fin, last stage, turning point, coup de grace, deathblow, knock-out-blow, sockdolager, ending, final, terminal, definitive, crowning, last, ultimate, hindermost, rear, caudal, vergent, conterminate, conterminous, conterminable, ended, at an end, settled, decided, over, played out, set at rest, conclusive, penultimate, last but one, last but two, unbegun, uncommenced, fresh, finally, in fine, at the last, once for all, as high as Heaven and as deep as hell, deficit omne quod nascitur, en toute chose il faut considerer la fin, finem respice, ultimus Romanorum.

Completion

N completion, accomplishment, achievement, fulfillment, performance, execution, despatch, dispatch, consummation, culmination, finish, conclusion, close, terminus, winding up, finale, denouement, catastrophe, issue, upshot, result, final touch, last touch, crowning touch, finishing touch, finishing stroke, last finish, coup de grace, crowning of the edifice, coping-stone, keystone, missing link, superstructure, ne plus ultra, work done, fait accompli, elaboration, finality, completeness, completing, final, concluding, conclusive, crowning, exhaustive, done, completed, done for, sped, wrought out, highly wrought, thorough, ripe, completely, to crown all, out of hand, the race is run, actum est, finis coronat opus, consummatum est, c'en est fait, it is all over, the game is played out, the bubble has burst, aussitot dit aussitot fait, aut non tentaris aut perfice.

Limit

N limit, boundary, bounds, confine, enclave, term, bourn, verge, curbstone, but, pale, reservation, termination, terminus, stint, frontier, precinct, marches, backwoods, boundary line, landmark, line of demarcation, line of circumvallation, pillars of Hercules, Rubicon, turning point, ne plus ultra, sluice, floodgate, definite, conterminate, conterminable, terminal, frontier, bordering, thus far, thus far and no further, stick to the reservation, go beyond the pale, Special.

Arrival

N arrival, advent, landing, debarkation, disembarkation, reception, welcome, vin d'honneur, home, goal, goalpost, landing place, landing stage, bunder, resting place, destination, harbor, haven, port, airport, spaceport, terminus, halting place, halting ground, landing strip, runway, terminal, journey's end, anchorage, return, remigration, meeting, rencounter, encounter, completion, recursion, arriving, homeward bound, here, hither, Int, welcome!, hail!, all Hail!, good-day, good morrow!, any port in a storm.