term

term
term1 W1S1 [tə:m US tə:rm] n
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1 in terms of something
2 in general/practical/financial etc terms
3¦(word)¦
4¦(period of time)¦
5¦(school/university)¦
6¦(end)¦
7 come to terms with something
8¦(conditions)¦
9¦(relationship)¦
10 terms of reference
11¦(number/sign)¦
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[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: terme 'edge, limit, end', from Latin terminus]
1.) in terms of sth
if you explain or describe something in terms of a particular fact or event, you are explaining or describing it only in relation to that fact or event
describe/measure/evaluate etc sth in terms of sth
Femininity is still defined in terms of beauty.
It's a mistake to think of Florida only in terms of its tourist attractions.
It's too early to start talking in terms of casualties.
in terms of what/how/who etc
Did the experiment find any differences in terms of what children learned?
2.) in general/practical/financial etc terms
used to show that you are describing or considering a subject in a particular way or from a particular point of view
in general/broad/simple etc terms
We explain in simple terms what the treatment involves.
It would be wrong to describe society purely in economic terms .
The war, although successful in military terms , left the economy in ruins.
What do these statistics mean in human terms ?
in sb's terms
In our terms, the scheme has not been a success.
in real/absolute terms
(=accurate, true, or including any related changes)
Rail fares have fallen 17 per cent in real terms.
in relative terms
(=compared with other, similar things)
Students have less money in relative terms, but spend more on books.
3.) ¦(WORD)¦
a word or expression with a particular meaning, especially one that is used for a specific subject or type of language
term for
'Multimedia' is the term for any technique combining sounds and images.
legal/medical/technical term
Many legal terms have more than one meaning.
photographs, or to use the technical term , 'half-tones'
It was he who coined (=invented) the term 'anorexia'.
term of abuse/endearment/respect etc
(=rude, loving, respectful etc language)
The word 'communist' had become a term of abuse.
in strong/glowing/forthright etc terms
(=showing a strong etc emotion or attitude)
I complained to the manager in the strongest possible terms .
His reply was couched in sinister terms .
in no uncertain terms
(=language that is very clear and angry)
Journalists were told, in no uncertain terms , that they were not welcome.
a contradiction in terms atcontradiction
4.) ¦(PERIOD OF TIME)¦
a fixed period of time during which someone does something or something happens
term in office
(=the time someone spends doing an important job in government)
It was always clear that Schmidt's third term in office would prove a difficult one.
term of
the maximum term of imprisonment
The lease runs for a term of 99 years.
prison/jail term
The men each received a 30-year prison term.
fixed/long/short term
a fixed-term contract
In the long term , alcohol causes high blood pressure.
Dad loaned us his car for the short term.
5.) ¦(SCHOOL/UNIVERSITY)¦ [U and C]
BrE one of the three periods of time that the school or university year is divided into
→↑half-term
summer/autumn/spring term
The exams are at the end of the summer term.
Teachers often feel overworked in term time (=during the term) .
first/last day of term
that all-important first day of term
6.) ¦(END)¦ [singular, U]
technical the end of a particular period of time
→↑long-term, short-term ↑short-term
The agreement reaches its term next year.
a child born two months before full term (=of pregnancy)
The arrangement had outlived its natural term (=the length of time it was expected to exist) .
7.) come to terms with sth
to accept an unpleasant or sad situation and no longer feel upset or angry about it
George and Elizabeth have come to terms with the fact that they will never have children.
Counselling helped her come to terms with her grief.
8.) ¦(CONDITIONS)¦
terms [plural]
a) the conditions that are set for an agreement, contract, arrangement etc
Under the terms of the agreement, the debt would be repaid over 20 years.
your terms and conditions of employment
Delivery is within the terms of this contract.
equal/unequal/the same etc terms
(=conditions that are equal, unequal etc)
Small businesses have to compete on equal terms with large organisations.
Men and women should be able to work on level terms .
on sb's (own) terms
(=according to the conditions that someone wants)
He wanted our relationship to be only on his terms.
b) the arrangements for payment that you agree to when you buy or sell something
reasonable/favourable/cheaper etc terms
Some insurance companies offer very reasonable terms.
This allowed tenant farmers to buy land on easy terms (=by paying small sums of money over a long period) .
9.) ¦(RELATIONSHIP)¦
terms [plural]
if you are on good, bad etc terms with someone, you have a good, bad etc relationship with them
be on good/bad/friendly etc terms (with sb)
By now, Usha and I were on familiar terms .
He is barely on speaking terms with his father (=they are angry and almost never speak to each other) .
We were soon on first-name terms (=using each other's first names, as a sign of friendship) .
10.) terms of reference
formal the subjects that a person or group of people agree to consider
the committee's terms of reference
11.) ¦(NUMBER/SIGN)¦ technical
one of the numbers or signs used in a mathematical calculation
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HINT sense 5
At a British school or university, the year is divided into three terms . At an American univeristy, there are two semesters or three trimesters .
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term 2
term2 v [T usually passive]
to use a particular word or expression to name or describe something
This condition is sometimes termed RSI, or repetitive strain injury.
Roosevelt termed himself and his policies 'liberal'.
These developments are loosely termed 'advanced manufacturing techniques'.

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Synonyms:
, , , , , , / , , , , / (considered as having a definite meaning; particularly a technical word), , , / (of a syllogism, of an equation, of a fraction, of a proportion, etc.), , , , , , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Term — Term, n. [F. terme, L. termen, inis, terminus, a boundary limit, end; akin to Gr. ?, ?. See {Thrum} a tuft, and cf. {Terminus}, {Determine}, {Exterminate}.] 1. That which limits the extent of anything; limit; extremity; bound; boundary. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • term — n often attrib 1: a specified period of time the policy term 2: the whole period for which an estate is granted; also: the estate itself 3 a: the period in which the powers of a court may be validly exercised b …   Law dictionary

  • Term — may refer to: *Term (computers) or terminal emulator, a program that emulates a video terminal *Term (language) or terminology, a word or compound word used in a specific context *Term (mathematics), a component of a mathematical expression… …   Wikipedia

  • Term — Term, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Termed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Terming}.] [See {Term}, n., and cf. {Terminate}.] To apply a term to; to name; to call; to denominate. [1913 Webster] Men term what is beyond the limits of the universe imaginary space. Locke.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • term — ► NOUN 1) a word or phrase used to describe a thing or to express a concept. 2) (terms) language used on a particular occasion: a protest in the strongest possible terms. 3) (terms) stipulated or agreed requirements or conditions. 4) (terms)… …   English terms dictionary

  • term — term1 [tʉrm] n. [ME terme < OFr < L terminus, a limit, boundary, end < IE * termṇ, a boundary stake < base * ter , to cross over, go beyond > TRANS , Gr terma, goal] 1. Archaic a point of time designating the beginning or end of a… …   English World dictionary

  • term — [n1] description of a concept appellation, article, caption, denomination, designation, expression, head, indication, language, locution, moniker*, name, nomenclature, phrase, style, terminology, title, vocable, word; concepts 275,683 term [n2]… …   New thesaurus

  • term — (n.) early 13c., terme limit in time, set or appointed period, from O.Fr. terme limit of time or place (11c.), from L. terminus end, boundary line, related to termen boundary, end (see TERMINUS (Cf. terminus)). Sense of period of time during… …   Etymology dictionary

  • term|er — «TUR muhr», noun. a person who is serving a term as a public official: »a fourth termer …   Useful english dictionary

  • Term — der; s, e <aus gleichbed. fr. terme, eigtl. »Grenze, Begrenzung«, dies aus (m)lat. terminus, vgl. ↑Termin>: 1. [Reihe von] Zeichen in einer formalisierten Theorie, mit der od. dem eines der in der Theorie betrachteten Objekte dargestellt… …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • term — англ. [тэ/эм] terme фр. [тэрм] termine ит. [тэ/рминэ] Terminus нем. [тэрминус] термин …   Словарь иностранных музыкальных терминов

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