term

[turm] /tɜrm/
noun
1.
a word or group of words designating something, especially in a particular field, as atom in physics, quietism in theology, adze in carpentry, or district leader in politics.
2.
any word or group of words considered as a member of a construction or utterance.
3.
the time or period through which something lasts.
4.
a period of time to which limits have been set:
elected for a term of four years.
5.
one of two or more divisions of a school year, during which instruction is regularly provided.
6.
an appointed or set time or date, as for the payment of rent, interest, wages, etc.
7.
terms.
  1. conditions with regard to payment, price, charge, rates, wages, etc.:
    reasonable terms.
  2. conditions or stipulations limiting what is proposed to be granted or done:
    the terms of a treaty.
  3. footing or standing; relations:
    on good terms with someone.
  4. Obsolete. state, situation, or circumstances.
8.
Algebra, Arithmetic.
  1. each of the members of which an expression, a series of quantities, or the like, is composed, as one of two or more parts of an algebraic expression.
  2. a mathematical expression of the form axp, axpyq, etc., where a, p, and q are numbers and x and y are variables.
9.
Logic.
  1. the subject or predicate of a categorical proposition.
  2. the word or expression denoting the subject or predicate of a categorical proposition.
10.
Also called terminus. a figure, especially of Terminus, in the form of a herm, used by the ancient Romans as a boundary marker; terminal figure.
11.
Law.
  1. an estate or interest in land or the like, to be enjoyed for a fixed period.
  2. the duration of an estate.
  3. each of the periods during which certain courts of law hold their sessions.
12.
completion of pregnancy; parturition.
13.
Archaic.
  1. end, conclusion, or termination.
  2. boundary or limit.
verb (used with object)
14.
to apply a particular term or name to; name; call; designate.
Idioms
15.
bring to terms, to force to agree to stated demands or conditions; bring into submission:
After a long struggle, we brought them to terms.
16.
come to terms,
  1. to reach an agreement; make an arrangement:
    to come to terms with a creditor.
  2. to become resigned or accustomed:
    to come to terms with one's life.
17.
eat one's terms, British Informal. to study for the bar; be a law student.
18.
in terms of, with regard to; concerning:
The book offers nothing in terms of a satisfactory conclusion.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English terme < Old French < Latin terminus boundary, limit, end; akin to Greek térmōn limit
Related forms
termly, adverb
half-term, noun
interterm, adjective
misterm, verb (used with object)

term.

1.
terminal.
2.
termination.

term of art

noun
1.
a word or phrase that has a specific or precise meaning within a given discipline or field and might have a different meaning in common usage:
Set is a term of art used by mathematicians, and burden of proof is a term of art used by lawyers.
Also called word of art.
See also art1 (def 9).
Examples from the web for term
  • Yet over that period, long-term bond yields have fallen to historically low levels.
  • There was a reason her students who turned in lame term papers could also churn out perfectly fine blogs.
  • There are many other and varied uses for this term and not only in the biological sense.
  • Not only that, cities may be one of the best options for the long-term viability of the species.
  • The people is a political term, not to be confused with the public.
  • The derivation of the term is not usually understood.
  • Longer-term or extended-stay residences, which were developed decades ago, used to mean only corporate housing near office parks.
  • What is more alarming is the long-term unemployment rate.
  • In many countries long-term unemployment has soared both in absolute terms and as a proportion of total joblessness.
  • And, long-term growth in outlays is a far bigger source of concern than short-term countercyclical spending.
British Dictionary definitions for term

term

/tɜːm/
noun
1.
a name, expression, or word used for some particular thing, esp in a specialized field of knowledge: a medical term
2.
any word or expression
3.
a limited period of time: his second term of office, a prison term
4.
any of the divisions of the academic year during which a school, college, etc, is in session
5.
a point in time determined for an event or for the end of a period
6.
Also called full term. the period at which childbirth is imminent
7.
(law)
  1. an estate or interest in land limited to run for a specified period: a term of years
  2. the duration of an estate, etc
  3. (formerly) a period of time during which sessions of courts of law were held
  4. time allowed to a debtor to settle
8.
(maths) either of the expressions the ratio of which is a fraction or proportion, any of the separate elements of a sequence, or any of the individual addends of a polynomial or series
9.
(logic)
  1. the word or phrase that forms either the subject or predicate of a proposition
  2. a name or variable, as opposed to a predicate
  3. one of the relata of a relation
  4. any of the three subjects or predicates occurring in a syllogism
10.
(architect) Also called terminal, terminus, terminal figure. a sculptured post, esp one in the form of an armless bust or an animal on the top of a square pillar
11.
(Australian rules football) the usual word for quarter (sense 10)
12.
(archaic) a boundary or limit
verb
13.
(transitive) to designate; call: he was termed a thief
See also terms
Derived Forms
termly, adverb
Word Origin
C13: from Old French terme, from Latin terminus end
Word Origin and History for term
n.

early 13c., terme "limit in time, set or appointed period," from Old French terme "limit of time or place" (11c.), from Latin terminus "end, boundary line," related to termen "boundary, end" (see terminus). Old English had termen "term, end," from Latin. Sense of "period of time during which something happens" first recorded c.1300, especially of a school or law court session (mid-15c.).

The meaning "word or phrase used in a limited or precise sense" is first recorded late 14c., from Medieval Latin use to render Greek horos "boundary," employed in mathematics and logic. Meaning "completion of the period of pregnancy" is from 1844. Term-paper in U.S. educational sense is recorded from 1931.

v.

"to give a particular name to," mid-16c., from term (n.). Related: Termed; terming.

term in Medicine

term (tûrm)
n.

  1. A limited period of time.

  2. The end of a normal gestation period.

term in Science
term
  (tûrm)   

  1. Each of the quantities or expressions that form the parts of a ratio or the numerator and denominator of a fraction.

  2. Any of the quantities in an equation that are connected to other quantities by a plus sign or a minus sign.


term in Technology

1. A program by Michael O'Reilly michael@iinet.com.au for people running Unix who have Internet access via a dial-up connection, and who don't have access to SLIP, or PPP, or simply prefer a more lightweight protocol. TERM does end-to-end error-correction, compression and mulplexing across serial links. This means you can upload and download files as the same time you're reading your news, and can run X clients on the other side of your modem link, all without needing SLIP or PPP.
Latest version: 1.15.
(ftp://tartarus.uwa.edu.au/pub/oreillym/term/term115.tar.gz).
2. Technology Enabled Relationship Management.
(1999-10-04)
Related Abbreviations for term

term.

  1. terminal
  2. termination
Encyclopedia Article for term

in the visual arts, element consisting of a sculptured figure or bust at the top of a stone pillar or column that usually tapers downward to a quadrangular base. Often the pillar replaces the body of the figure, with feet sometimes indicated at its base. The pillar itself may be a separate object (i.e., a pedestal for the head or other sculpture), in which case it is called a terminal pedestal.

Learn more about term with a free trial on Britannica.com