terminal

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Of, at, relating to, or forming a limit, boundary, extremity, or end.
2. adj. Botany Growing or appearing at the end of a stem, branch, stalk, or similar part.
3. adj. Of, at, relating to, or being the end of a section or series; final. See Synonyms at last¹.
4. adj. Relating to or occurring in a term or each term: terminal inventories.
5. adj. Causing, ending in, or approaching death; fatal: terminal cancer; a terminal patient.
6. n. A point or part that forms the end.
7. n. An ornamental figure or object placed at the end of a larger structure; a finial.
8. n. Electricity A position in a circuit or device at which a connection is normally established or broken.
9. n. Electricity A passive conductor at such a position used to facilitate the connection.
10. n. Either end of a railroad or other transportation line; a terminus.
11. n. A station at the end of a transportation line or at a major junction on a transportation line.
12. n. A town at the end of a transportation line.
13. n. Computer Science A device, often equipped with a keyboard and a video display, through which data or information can be entered or displayed.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A terminus, as of a railroad.
2. Of, pertaining to, or forming the terminus or termination of something; forming a boundary or extreme limit; pertaining to a term (see term, 1 and 2): as, a terminal pillar; the terminal edge of a polyhedron; the terminal facilities of a railway.
3. In botany, growing at the end of a branch or stem; terminating: as, a terminal peduncle, flower, or spike.
4. In logic, constituted by or relating to a term.
5. Occurring in every term; representing a term.
6. In anatomy and zoology, ending a set or series of like parts; apical: as, the middle sacral artery is the terminal branch of the abdominal aorta; the last coccygeal bone is the terminal one of the coccyx; a terminal mark or spine; the terminal joint of an antenna. See cuts under Colaspis and Erotylus.
7. n. That which terminates; the extremity; the end; especially, in electricity, the clampingscrew at each end of a voltaic battery, used for connecting it with the wires which complete the circuit.
8. n. In crystallography, the plane or planes which form the extremity of a crystal.
9. n. A charge made by a railway for the use of its termini or stations, or for the handling of freight at stations.
10. n. A terminus, as of a railroad.

Wiktionary

1. n. A building in an airport where passengers transfer from ground transportation to the facilities that allow them to board airplanes.
2. n. A rail station where service begins and ends; the end of the line. For example: Grand Central Terminal in New York City.
3. n. In electronics, the end of a line where signals are either transmitted or received, or a point along the length of a line where the signals are made available to apparatus.
4. n. An electric contact on a battery.
5. n. In telecommunications, the apparatus to send and/or receive signals on a line, such as a telephone or network device.
6. n. In the context of computer hardware, a device for entering data into a computer or a communications system and/or displaying data received, especially a device equipped with a keyboard and some sort of textual display.
7. n. A computer program that emulates a terminal (6).
8. n. A terminal symbol in a formal grammar.
9. adj. Fatal, resulting in death.
10. adj. Appearing at the end, top or apex of a physical object.
11. adj. Occurring at the end of a word, sentence, or period of time.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Of or pertaining to the end or extremity; forming the extremity.
2. adj. Growing at the end of a branch or stem; terminating.
3. adj. Pertaining to a railroad terminal; connected with the receipt or delivery of freight.
4. n. That which terminates or ends; termination; extremity.
5. n. Either of the ends of the conducting circuit of an electrical apparatus, as an inductorium, dynamo, or electric motor, usually provided with binding screws for the attachment of wires by which a current may be conveyed into or from the machine; a pole.
6. n. The end of a line of railroad, with the switches, stations, sheds, and other appliances pertaining thereto.
7. n. Any station for the delivery or receipt of freight lying too far from the main line to be served by mere sidings.
8. n. A rate charged on all freight, independent of the distance, and supposed to cover the expenses of station service, as distinct from mileage rate, generally proportionate to the distance and intended to cover movement expenses; a terminal charge.
9. n. A town lying at the end of a railroad, in which the terminal is located; -- more properly called a terminus.
10. n. The station at either end of a bus line line which transports freight or passengers.
11. n. A station where passenger buses start or end a trip; -- also called bus terminal.
12. n. The structure at an airport where passengers board or debark, and where ticket purchases and baggage pickup is performed; -- also called airline terminal.
13. n. An electronic device where data may be entered into a computer, and information received from it, usually consisting of a keyboard and video display unit (monitor); the terminal may be integrated or connected directly to a computer, or connected by a communications circuit with a computer at a remote location; -- also called computer terminal.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a contact on an electrical device (such as a battery) at which electric current enters or leaves
2. n. either extremity of something that has length
3. adj. being or situated at an end
4. n. station where transport vehicles load or unload passengers or goods
5. adj. occurring at or forming an end or termination
6. adj. of or relating to or situated at the ends of a delivery route
7. adj. relating to or occurring in a term or fixed period of time
8. adj. causing or ending in or approaching death
9. n. electronic equipment consisting of a device providing access to a computer; has a keyboard and display