Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “term” come from?

Termination comes from Latin terminationem, from Latin terminus meaning "boundary," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ter- or térmn̥.

term (English): That which limits the extent of anything; limit,...

Definitions

  1. That which limits the extent of anything; limit,...

Ancestry of “term”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishterminalA building in an airport where passengers...
2Frenchterminalterminal
3Latinterminalisboundary; terminal; final, concluding
4LatinTerminus—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanter-tender, weak; young creature
6Italiantermineend, close; limit, term, date, time; term, word
7Latinterminusa boundary, limit, end
8Proto-Italictermenos—
9Proto-Indo-Europeantérmn̥boundary, end

Words derived from “term”

  • terms
  • longterm
  • preterm
  • midterm
  • termly
  • subterm
  • termer
  • termeth
  • termless
  • termwise
  • counterterm
  • multiterm
  • interterm
  • nonterm
  • termest
  • kinterm
  • misterm
  • short-term
  • short-termism
  • short-termness
  • Michaelmas term
  • longtermly
  • termgraph
  • outterm
Every word from Proto-Indo-European térmn̥ →