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Terminate

//ˈtɜːmɪneɪt// adj, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Terminated; limited; bounded; ended.
  2. 2
    Having a definite and clear limit or boundary; having a determinate size, shape or magnitude.

    "Mountains on the Moon cast shadows that are very dark, terminate and more distinct than those cast by mountains on the Earth."

  3. 3
    Expressible in a finite number of terms; (of a decimal) not recurring or infinite.

    "One third is a recurring decimal, but one half is a terminate decimal."

Verb
  1. 1
    To end something, especially when left in an incomplete state. transitive

    "to terminate a process before its completion"

  2. 2
    bring to an end or halt wordnet
  3. 3
    To conclude. transitive
  4. 4
    terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position wordnet
  5. 5
    To set or be a limit or boundary to. transitive

    "to terminate a surface by a line"

Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical wordnet
  2. 7
    To form an appropriate end on (a wire, cable, hose, pipe, etc), such as by applying a cable terminal or a hose ferrule. transitive

    "We'll rough them all in before we start terminating any of them."

  3. 8
    be the end of; be the last or concluding part of wordnet
  4. 9
    To end the employment contract of an employee; to fire, lay off. transitive
  5. 10
    To kill someone or something. euphemistic, transitive

    "The enemy must be terminated by any means possible."

  6. 11
    To end, conclude, or cease; to come to an end. intransitive

    "She unlocked the casket which contained her mother's picture, and gazed even more earnestly than usual on that beautiful face; its frank, glad smile was too painful; it seemed an omen of all that could make a joyous and beloved existence; and yet how had her's terminated!"

  7. 12
    Of a mode of transport, to end its journey; or, of a railway line, to reach its terminus. intransitive

    "This train terminates at the next station."

  8. 13
    To issue or result. intransitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English terminaten (“to bring to an end; to adjudicate; to end, stop; to border, confine, contain”) from terminat(e) (“bounded”, also used as the past participle of terminaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin terminātus, perfect passive participle of terminō (“to set bounds to, bound, limit, end, close, terminate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from terminus (“a bound, limit, end”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix); see term, terminus. Doublet of termine, cognate with French terminer.

Etymology 2

From Middle English terminat(e) (“bounded”, also used as the past participle of terminaten), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

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