terminalis
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Pronunciation
Forms
terminālis (neuter termināle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]
Etymology
It is from terminus “boundary, end” with the suffix -ālis.[2][1][3]
Earliest recorded meaning
Köbler's first source is Varro, whom he dates 116–27 BC.[4]
Semantic evolution
It meant marking a boundary, as of boundary stones, and in Apuleius marking an end, final.[2] Tertullian has pālī termināliēs “boundary stakes” and Ammianus lapidēs termināliēs.[5] Georges cites the Terminālia, the festival of the boundary god Terminus, in Augustine.[6]
British Medieval Latin used it for what marks a boundary or limit.[7] It gave English terminal in the mid-15th century, “final, ultimate”, and in the late 15th century “marking boundaries”.[3]
Timeline
- 116–27 BC – Varro uses it.[4]
- c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it of what is final.[2][4]
- mid-15th century – English terminal is recorded.[3]
Meanings
Adjective
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
- ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press