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'.
A bus terminal, a computer terminal, and a terminal illness all share the idea of an endpoint. The word is a reminder that 'endings' can mean anything from a final stop to just a place where things connect and restart.
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