Terminates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause something to come to a conclusion or stop ; to form the final point or boundary of an area or object
2. To end or conclude an event, process, or condition ; to mark the last part or limit of something
3. To finish or discontinue an action or state ; to be the point where something stops or reaches its limit

Etymology: Before it meant "to bring to an end," the Latin verb "terminare" meant "to set bounds to" or "to mark a limit." It came from "terminus," a boundary stone or limit, so the original sense was spatial: a line drawn around something. The English verb was borrowed in the Middle English period from the Latin past participle "terminatus," meaning "bounded," and it kept both senses for a time. Medieval English speakers used it to mean "to border or confine" as well as "to end or stop." That spatial meaning survives in the adjective "terminate," which still describes something that has limits or ends, and in the words "term" and "terminus," which share the same root. The verb is a doublet of "termine," a closely related English word from the same Latin source that entered the language by a different route. Its French cousin "terminer" shows the same pattern of meaning, moving from boundary to conclusion.

Synonyms: ends, concludes, ceases

Antonyms: begins, starts