terminator
part of speech
noun (a terminator, terminators)
meaning for a pupil
1) A terminator is someone or something that ends or destroys something. tree →
2) (science) The terminator is the line on the Moon or a planet that divides the day side from the night side. tree →
3) The Terminator is a famous action film robot (from the films starting in 1984), so people use the word for a tough, unstoppable robot or person. tree →
4) (technology) A terminator is a part that marks or closes the end of a cable, line or piece of data. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science lessons about the Moon's phases, the terminator is the curved shadow line you can see through a telescope, where craters look sharpest. In everyday chat, «terminator» is used jokingly for a tough robot or a person who «gets rid of» things like pests. Phrases: «the lunar terminator», «pest terminator».
examples
- Look along the terminator to see the craters best. tree →
- The terminator moves across the Moon as its phases change. tree →
- In the film, the Terminator is a robot from the future. tree →
- Dad called himself the Spider Terminator. tree →
- The cable needs a terminator at the end. tree →
- Sunrise is happening wherever the terminator crosses the Earth. tree →
note
Countable. From «terminate» (to end). The science sense (day–night line) surprises many people.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «terminator» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.