Where does “defined term” come from?

defined term (English) comes from English term, from English terminal, from French terminal, from Latin terminalis, from Latin Terminus, from Proto-Indo-European ter-, from Italian termine, from Latin terminus — boundary, end.

defined term (English): A term in a legal document that has been given a specific definition, which overrides the general meaning of the term in the context of that document

Definitions

  1. A term in a legal document that has been given a specific definition, which overrides the general meaning of the term in the context of that document

Ancestry of “defined term”, step by step

defined term traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English term

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtermThat which limits the extent of anything; limit,...
2EnglishterminalA building in an airport where passengers...
3Frenchterminalterminal
4Latinterminalisboundary; terminal; final, concluding
5LatinTerminusthe deity presiding over boundaries; a personification of the term terminus
6Proto-Indo-Europeanter-tender, weak; young creature
7Italiantermineend, close; limit, term, date, time; term, word
8Latinterminusa boundary, limit, end
9Proto-Italictermenos
10Proto-Indo-Europeantérmn̥boundary, end

via English defined

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdefinedHaving a definition or value; Having extreme...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European térmn̥Every word from Proto-Italic termenosEvery word from Proto-Indo-European ter-