terminate

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To end or stop something.

   The company decided to terminate the contract early.

2. 2
   verb

   Of a train or bus, to end its journey at a certain place.

   This train terminates at the next station.

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.

Topics