# terminate

Pronunciation: say "TUR-mi-nayt" US /ˈtɝmɪneɪt/, UK /ˈtɜːmɪneɪt/

## Verb

1. To bring something to a conclusion or final close.
   - Simple: To bring something to a close or finish it.
   - _They agreed to terminate the lengthy debate after midnight._
   - _The chairman terminated the session with a brief closing remark._
2. To end something, especially while it remains incomplete.
   - Simple: To end something before it is finished.
   - _Mission control decided to terminate the launch seconds before liftoff._
   - _She terminated the call before the caller could finish._
3. To come to an end, conclude, or cease.
   - Simple: To come to an end or stop.
   - _The lease terminates automatically if rent goes unpaid._
   - _These warranties terminate once the product is resold._
4. To end an employee's employment contract; to fire or lay off.
   - Simple: To end someone's job and remove them from work.
   - _The firm terminated her without warning after the merger._
   - _Employers may terminate staff who repeatedly breach company policy._
5. To kill a person, animal, or other living thing.
   - Simple: To kill a person or animal.
   - _Their orders were to terminate the target without leaving evidence._
   - _The assassin terminated his mark with a single shot._
6. To set or form a limit or boundary to something.
   - Simple: To act as the edge or limit of something.
   - _A sheer cliff terminates the trail at the summit._
   - _Stone pillars terminate the avenue at either end._
7. Of a train, bus, or rail line, to end its journey or reach its final stop.
   - Simple: To finish a journey at the last stop, said of a train or bus.
   - _The express service terminates at the coastal terminus._
   - _During the works, northbound trains terminate two stops early._
8. To finish off a wire, cable, hose, or pipe with an appropriate end fitting, such as a terminal or ferrule.
   - Simple: To finish the end of a wire or pipe by adding a fitting.
   - _The technician terminated the coaxial cable with a crimped plug._
   - _Always terminate the hose with a proper ferrule to prevent leaks._
9. To come out or result in something; to issue.
   - Simple: To finally lead to a certain result or end.
   - _The investigation terminated in a series of arrests._
   - _Bitter disputes sometimes terminate in unexpected friendship._

## Adjective

Pronunciation: say "TUR-mi-nuht" US /ˈtɝmɪnət/, UK /ˈtɜːmɪnət/

10. Marked off by clear, definite limits, so that its size, shape, or extent is fixed.
   - Simple: Having a clear edge or limit, and a fixed size, shape, or amount.
11. Expressible in a finite number of terms; said of a decimal that ends instead of recurring or running on infinitely.
   - Simple: Able to be written in a limited number of terms. Said of a decimal that stops instead of repeating forever.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Having come to an end, or confined within fixed limits or bounds.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–9** — This verb comes from Middle English 'terminaten' (to bring to an end, to border or confine), borrowed from Latin 'terminātus', the past participle of 'terminō' (to set bounds to, limit, or end), which derives from 'terminus' (a bound, limit, or end). It is a doublet of 'termine' and a cognate of French 'terminer'.
**Meanings 10–11** — This comes from Middle English 'terminat(e)' meaning 'bounded', which also served as the past participle of 'terminaten'; it shares its origin with the verb (Etymology 1).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/terminate (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).