As an adjective, terminal describes something that is at the end, especially a disease that will eventually cause death. As a noun, a terminal is a station where vehicles begin or end their journeys, or a device where you connect or access a system.
From Latin *terminalis* 'of or at the end', from *terminus* 'end, boundary, limit'. The same root gives us 'term', 'determine', and 'terminate'.
Try Another Word