terminus

/terr"meuh neuhs/, n., pl. termini /-nuy'/, terminuses.

1. the end or extremity of anything.

2. either end of a railroad line.

3. Brit. the station or the town at the end of a railway or bus route.

4. the point toward which anything tends; goal or end.

5. a boundary or limit.

6. a boundary post or stone.

7. (cap.) the ancient Roman god of boundaries and landmarks.

8. term (def. 10).

[1545-55; < L: boundary, limit, end]

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▪ ancient Roman cult

      (Latin: Boundary Stone), originally, in Roman cult, a boundary stone or post fixed in the ground during a ceremony of sacrifice and anointment. Anyone who removed a boundary stone was accursed and might be slain; a fine was later substituted for the death penalty. From this sacred object evolved the god Terminus. On February 23 (the end of the old Roman year) the festival called the Terminalia was held. The owners of adjacent lands assembled at the common boundary stone, and each garlanded his own side of the stone. Offerings of cakes, grain, honey, and wine were made, and a lamb or pig was sacrificed.

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