[ad. L. terminatiōn-em, n. of action f. termināre to TERMINATE; in some senses perh. a. OF. termination (13–14th c.).]
I. The action of terminating or fact of being determined (in various senses).
† 1. The action of determining; determination, decision. Obs.
c. 1450. in Aungier, Syon (1840), 359. The abbes … schal make al the terminacions in the chirche.
1455–6. Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889), 290. Wythoute eny contradiccyon aftyr the termynacyon aforesayd.
a. 1625. Fletcher, Love’s Pilgr., II. i. You can consider The want in others of these terminations, And how unfurnish’d they appear.
1660. R. Coke, Justice Vind., Pref. 13. If I could not ultimately resolve the dictates of my reason … into plain places of Scripture, so well as any Geometrician would any proposition of Geometry into the principles of Euclid’s elements; I would be content to let them wander for ever without any termination.
† 2. Alleged name of some operation of alchemy.
1584. R. Scot, Discov. Witchcr., XIV. i. Their … amalgaming … terminations, mollifications and indurations of bodies.
3. The action of ending. † a. Bounding, limiting, separation by spatial limits (obs.). b. Putting an end to; bringing to a close.
1604. R. Cawdrey, Table Alph., Termination, an ending,… finishing or bounding.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., 55. The water entring the body, begets a division of parts, and a termination of Atoms united before unto continuity.
1658. Phillips, Termination,… a limiting, ending, or bounding.
1910. Expositor, Oct., 290. Adultery alone justifies the termination of a marriage union.
† 4. Direction to something as an object or end; purpose: cf. END sb. 14. Obs.
16[?]. White (J). It is not an idol ratione termini, in respect of termination; for the religious observation thereof is referred and subservient to the honour of God and Christ.
II. The point or part in which anything ends.
5. End (in time), cessation, close, conclusion.
c. 1500. Melusine, xxiii. 156. Ermyne said she wold see first the termynacion of her faders syknes or she shuld procide ony ferther.
1658. Sir T. Browne, Hydriot., iv. (1736), 31. Christians have handsomely glossed the Deformity of Death, by … civil Rites, which take off brutal Terminations.
1755. Johnson, Termination … 3. End; conclusion.
1848. Thackeray, Van. Fair, xliii. She abruptly put a termination to a flirtation which Lieutenant Stubble … had commenced.
1853. J. H. Newman, Hist. Sk. (1873), II. I. iv. 160. All human power has its termination sooner or later.
b. Outcome, issue, result: = END sb. 13.
1806. V. Knox, Serm. Isa. xxviii. 16, Wks. 1824, VI. 393. A good commencement has ever been found … auspicious to a good progress and a happy termination.
1824. Scott, St. Ronan’s, xxix. If they do not indeed drive her to suicide, which I think the most likely termination.
1884. Manch. Exam., 3 May, 5/1. Dissensions which could hardly have other than a hostile termination.
6. The ending of a word; the final syllable, letter, or group of letters; spec. in Gram. a final element affixed to a word or stem to express some relation or modification of sense; an (inflexional or derivative) ending, a suffix.
1530. Palsgr., Introd. 27. In these syxe termynations endeth no masculyne adjectyve syngular.
1588. Fraunce, Lawiers Log, I. xii. 50 b. The diuers fallinges and terminations of woords.
1614. Selden, Titles Hon., Pref. Lar is but the Turkish termination plurall.
a. 1677. Hale, Prim. Orig. Man., 165. Many times the Literati and Scholares coyn new Words, and sometimes … give Terminations and Idiotisms sutable to their Native Language, unto Words newly invented … out of other Languages.
1788. Gibbon, Decl. & F., l. (1790), IX. 227. [Mecca] was known to the Greeks under the name of Macoraba;… the termination of the word is expressive of its greatness.
1845. Stoddart, in Encycl. Metrop. (1847), I. 108/1. The addition of an adverbial particle, like our prefix, a, or termination, ly.
7. A limit, bound; an end, extremity (of a material object, or of a portion of space).
1755. Johnson, Termination … 2. Bound; limit.
1828. Webster, s.v., The termination of a line.
1830. Booth, L’pool & Manch. Railw., 42. To improve the termination of the line at the Liverpool end.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. xvii. 120. To trace the glacier to its termination.
1870. F. R. Wilson, Ch. Lindisf., 101. At the west end is a bell-cot, with a pyramidal termination.
b. pl. Used for ‘trousers’ or ‘breeches.’
1863. R. F. Burton, Wand. W. Africa, I. 32. The men are in shirts, and long terminations, or femoralia.
† 8. ? A term, word, expression. Obs. rare.
1599. Shaks., Much Ado, II. i. 255. Shee speakes poynyards, and euery word stabbes: if her breath were as terrible as [her] terminations, there were no liuing neere her.
