term
UK /tɜːm/ · US /tɜɹm/ noun, verb, adjective
Forms terms terming termed
- noun (original meaning, by derivation) That which limits the extent of anything; limit, extremity, bound, boundary, terminus.
- noun (often in plural) Any of the binding conditions or promises in a contract or agreement. “Be sure to read the terms and conditions before signing.”
- noun (in the plural) Specifically, the conditions in a legal contract that specify the price and also how and when payment must be made. “Q: What are your company's terms? A: Net thirty, cash or check. [This answer means that the net total must be paid within 30 days; see Net D.]”
- noun A limited or defined timespan. “The term of a lease agreement is the period of time during which the lease is effective, and may be fixed, periodic, or of indefinite duration.”
- noun Duration of officeholding, or its limit; period in office of fixed length. “The president is almost half way through his term.”
- noun The time during which legal courts are open.
- noun Certain days on which rent is paid.
- noun Part of a year, especially one of the divisions of an academic year. “At our school, sports day was always held at the end of the summer term.”
- verb (transitive) To phrase a certain way; to name or call.
- adjective (medicine, colloquial) Born or delivered at term. “term neonate”
- noun (computing, informal) A computer program that emulates a physical terminal.
- verb (ambitransitive, informal) To terminate someone's employment.
- verb (transitive, informal, of an online moderator) To delete someone's account.
- noun One whose employment has been terminated
Synonyms
describe as designate dub name refer to axe fire sack condition full term terminus terminal figure
Etymology
From Middle English terme, borrowed from Old French terme, from Latin terminus (“a bound, boundary, limit, end; in Medieval Latin, also a time, period, word, covenant, etc.”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *térmn̥ (“stump, end, boundary”).
Doublet of terminus and termon. Old English had termen, from the same source.
Clipping of terminal.
Short for terminate, termination, terminated employee, etc.
Webster’s 1913
- noun That which limits the extent of anything; limit; extremity; bound; boundary.
- noun The time for which anything lasts; any limited time; as, a term of five years; the term of life.
- verb To apply a term to; to name; to call; to denominate.
Etymology [F. terme, L. termen, -inis, terminus, a boundary limit, end; akin to Gr. Thrum a tuft, and cf. Terminus, Determine, Exterminate.]
Etymology [See Term, n., and cf. Terminate.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “term”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details