Bringing to an end or stopping something completely. Can refer to ending employment, contracts, processes, or other ongoing activities.
From Latin 'terminatus', past participle of 'terminare' meaning 'to limit, end, or bound', from 'terminus' meaning 'boundary or end'. The word entered English in the 16th century, initially with legal and formal connotations before expanding to general usage.
In mathematics, a 'terminating decimal' is one that ends after a finite number of digits (like 0.25), as opposed to a repeating decimal that goes on forever. The word carries a sense of finality that can be both neutral (terminating a program) and ominous (terminating employment), showing how context shapes emotional weight.
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