| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
term (tɜːm) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a name, expression, or word used for some particular thing, esp in a specialized field of knowledge: a medical term |
| 2. | any word or expression |
| 3. | a limited period of time: his second term of office; a prison term |
| 4. | any of the divisions of the academic year during which a school, college, etc, is in session |
| 5. | a point in time determined for an event or for the end of a period |
| 6. | Also called: full term the period at which childbirth is imminent |
| 7. | law |
| a. an estate or interest in land limited to run for a specified period: a term of years | |
| b. the duration of an estate, etc | |
| c. (formerly) a period of time during which sessions of courts of law were held | |
| d. time allowed to a debtor to settle | |
| 8. | maths either of the expressions the ratio of which is a fraction or proportion, any of the separate elements of a sequence, or any of the individual addends of a polynomial or series |
| 9. | logic |
| a. the word or phrase that forms either the subject or predicate of a proposition | |
| b. a name or variable, as opposed to a predicate | |
| c. one of the relata of a relation | |
| d. any of the three subjects or predicates occurring in a syllogism | |
| 10. | architect terminal, terminus, Also called: terminal figure a sculptured post, esp one in the form of an armless bust or an animal on the top of a square pillar |
| 11. | Australian rules football the usual word for quarter |
| 12. | archaic a boundary or limit |
| —vb | |
| 13. | (tr) to designate; call: he was termed a thief |
| [C13: from Old French terme, from Latin terminus end] | |
| 'termly | |
| —adv | |
term (tûrm)
n.
A limited period of time.
The end of a normal gestation period.
term (tûrm) Pronunciation Key
|
come to terms
Reach an agreement, as in The landlord and his tenants soon came to terms regarding repairs. [Early 1700s]
come to terms with. Reconcile oneself to, as in He'd been trying to come to terms with his early life. [Mid-1800s]