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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

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English

term

/tɜːm/
That which limits the extent of anything; limit, extremity, bound, boundary, terminus.

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    • derived
    • parts
    • meaning component
    • sound component
    • related
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    Origin

    Etymology 1

    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.

    Etymology 2

    Clipping of terminal.

    Etymology 3

    Short for terminate, termination, terminated employee, etc.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishterme
      • borrowedOld Frenchterme
        • inheritedLatinterminus “a boundary or border, a limit or point”
          • inheritedProto-Italic*term(e)nos
            • partProto-Italic*termn̥
            • partProto-Italic*-nos
          • derived (ultimately)Proto-Indo-European*térmn̥ “stump, end, boundary”
            • derivedProto-Indo-European*terh₂- “to cross over; to overcome; to pass through”
            • partProto-Indo-European*-mn̥
            • derivedProto-Indo-European*ter- “to grind, drill, turn”
    • derivedEnglishterminal “A building in an airport where passengers transfer from ground transportation to the facilities tha…”
      • borrowedLate Latinterminālis
        • partLatin-ālis “-al”
    • derivedEnglishtermination “The process of terminating or the state of being terminated.”
      • borrowedLatinterminationem

    Related: English terminus (doublet), English termon (doublet)

    Meanings

    noun
    1. That which limits the extent of anything; limit, extremity, bound, boundary, terminus.
    2. Any of the binding conditions or promises in a contract or agreement.
    3. Specifically, the conditions in a legal contract that specify the price and also how and when payment must be made.
    4. A limited or defined timespan.
    5. Duration of officeholding, or its limit; period in office of fixed length.
    6. The time during which legal courts are open.
    verb
    1. To phrase a certain way; to name or call.
    adj
    1. Born or delivered at term.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: term