termĭnus, i, m. (collat. form termo, ōnis, Enn. ap. Fest. p. 363 Müll., or Ann. v. 470 and 471 Vahl.; and termen, ĭnis, n., acc. to Varr. L. L. 5, § 21 Müll.; so, (BTERMINA DVO STANT, Inscr. Orell. 3121) [Sanscr. root tar-, overcome; tīrain, shore, edge; Gr. τέρμα, goal; τέρμων, border; cf. trans, in-trare], a boundary-line, boundary, bound, limit (syn.: finis, limes, meta).
I Lit., of local boundaries: contentio de terminis, Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 43, 132: agrorum, Plin. 18, 2, 2, § 8; Hor. C. 2, 18, 24: templi, Liv. 45, 5, 7: urbis, Tac. A. 12, 23; 12, 24 fin. : possessionum, Cic. Mil. 27, 74: vicinitatis, id. Rab. Perd. 3, 8: Alexandria, in terminis Africae et Aegypti condita, Just. 21, 6, 3.—Comically, = membrum virile, Pompon. ap. Non. 146, 24 (Com. Fragm. v. 126 Rib.).— Hence,
B Personified: Termĭnus , the deity presiding over boundaries , Ov. F. 2, 639 sq.; Varr. L. L. 5, 10, 22; Liv. 1, 55, 3; 5, 54, 7; Hor. C. S. 27; Lact. 1, 20, 38; Fest. p. 368; Serv. ad Verg. A. 9, 448. —
II Transf., in gen., a bound , limit , end , term : constituendi sunt, qui sint in amicitiā fines, ut quasi termini diligendi, Cic. Lael. 16, 56; cf.: certos mihi fines terminosque constituam, id. Quint. 10, 35: oratoris facultatem non illius artis terminis, sed ingeni sui finibus describere, id. de Or. 1, 49, 214: contentionum, id. Fam. 6, 22, 2: nullis terminis circumscribere aut definire jus suum, id. de Or. 1, 16, 70: Pompeius, cujus res gestae atque virtutes isdem quibus solis cursus regionibus ac terminis continentur, id. Cat. 4, 10, 21: omnium aetatum certus est terminus, senectutis autem nullus est certus terminus, id. Sen. 20, 72: vitae, id. Rab. Perd. 10, 29: pangere terminos, id. Leg. 1, 21, 56: termini egestatis, Plaut. As. 1, 2, 13: hos terminos dignitati statuo, Plin. Ep. 6, 29, 3.