terminus ad quem
- noun
- /ˈtɜːrmɪnəs æd kwɛm/
- Formal
:
límite final
- In legal terms, the terminus ad quem of a contract is the date by which all obligations must be fulfilled.
Examples
-
The deadline for submitting your thesis represents the terminus ad quem of your academic journey.
-
Because of the complex sets of relationships that exist among value, authenticity, provenance, and connoisseurship in the Western art world, virtually all of the art historical work devoted to Benin takes 1897 as its terminus ad quem.
Academic text (1997) -
It can continue to serve as a goal, a terminus ad quem for the ecumenical movement, but we are not there yet.
Academic text (2015) -
The study defined 2025 as the terminus ad quem for assessing the project's outcomes.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
The final part of something, like an event or story
432
1.0
The greatest amount or number allowed
398
1.0
The final part of something, like an event, story, or relationship
47
4.1
The point when something stops or finishes
36
6.3
The highest point in a process or event
14
9.9
A final goal or place that someone aims to reach
13
3.5
The last part of something, especially a period or event
11
5.4
A place or time when something ends
3
5.5
The end point of something like a road or tunnel
1
3.1
A time when an activity or event ends
1
7.5
The final goal of a process or journey
1
3.9
The place or moment when something finishes
The last point of a path, journey, or process
Surface Forms
Morphology
terminus + ad + quem
This is a Latin loan phrase used in specialist registers; although 'terminus' (end) hints at the sense, the other elements ('ad', 'quem') are not English words and the phrase follows Latin grammar, so a B1 learner who knows the individual English constituents would not be able to compose the exact meaning. Because the expression is fixed, language-specific and used in legal/academic contexts, its meaning is not transparently derivable from familiar English vocabulary.
Etymology
The Latin phrase terminus ad quem is made of terminus 'limit', ad 'to', quem 'which', so it paints the picture of a sign marking the very end of a road. That's why it means the final limit or last point in time or a process.