- terminate (v.)
- early 15c., "bring to an end," from Latin terminatus, past participle of terminare "to mark the end or boundary," from terminus "end, limit" (see terminus). Intransitive sense of "to come to an end" is recorded from 1640s; meaning "dismiss from a job" is recorded from 1973; that of "to assassinate" is from 1975. Related: Terminated; terminating.
