English
terminal
Terminal comes from Late Latin terminalis ‘pertaining to a boundary or to the end,…’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *térmn̥.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*térmn̥‘boundary, end’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*termn̥‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*term(e)nos‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminus‘a bound, boundary, limit, end’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEterminalis‘pertaining to a boundary or to the end, terminal, final’
- Englishtodayterminal
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*térmn̥‘boundary, end’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*termn̥‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*term(e)nos‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminus‘a bound, boundary, limit, end’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEterminalis‘pertaining to a boundary or to the end, terminal, final’
- Englishtodayterminal
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ter- ‘tender, weak’
thrill, intrigue, treachery, thro, inextricable, 30 more
through Proto-Indo-European *térmn̥ ‘boundary, end’
through Latin terminus ‘a bound, boundary, limit, end’
determination, extermination, determinism, interminable, determinate, 24 more
Today it means
noun A building in an airport where passengers transfer from ground transportation to the facilities that allow them to board airplanes.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *térmn̥ / terminal