ˈtə:mɪnl adj. & n. --adj. 1 a (of a disease)
ending in
death,
fatal. b (of a patient) in
the last
stage of a fatal
disease. c (of a
morbid condition) forming the last stage of a fatal disease. d colloq.
ruinous, disastrous,
very great (terminal laziness). 2 of or forming a
limit or
terminus (terminal station). 3 a Zool. etc. ending a
series (terminal joints). b
Bot.
borne at the
end of a stem etc. 4 of or
done etc.
each term (terminal accounts; terminal examinations). --n. 1 a terminating
thing; an
extremity. 2 a terminus
for trains or long-distance buses. 3 a
departure and arrival building for
air passengers. 4 a
point of
connection for closing an
electric circuit. 5 an
apparatus for
transmission of messages
between a
user and a
computer, communications
system, etc. 6 (in full terminal figure) = TERMINUS 6. 7 an
installation where oil is stored at the end of a
pipeline or at a
port. 8 a
patient suffering
from a terminal
illness. øterminal
velocity a velocity of a falling
body such that the
resistance of the air etc. prevents
further increase of
speed under gravity. øøterminally adv. [L terminalis (as TERMINUS)]
