What does terming mean?
Terming most commonly means applying a name, label, or other designation to someone or something. It is used particularly in formal and academic contexts where the choice of terminology matters, as in discussions of how a condition, product, historical period, or group of people should be described. The word can also carry the more specialized sense of bringing a service, session, or arrangement to an end. For example, in telecommunications, line terming concerns where a connection is ended, while in finance, terming out means replacing short-term obligations with longer-term ones. Although terming is sometimes visually mistaken for “terminating,” its oldest and most familiar function relates to naming. As an -ing form, it is especially natural in careful, explanatory writing and can convey either the action of assigning a designation or a process that is still under way.
verbCalling or designating someone or something by a name, label, or other term; naming.
- Applying a name, label, or other designation to someone or something.
- Bringing a service, session, or arrangement to an end, especially in technical usage.
"The researchers were careful about terming the condition before publishing their findings."
"The museum is careful about terming the collection in ways that reflect its cultural origins."
"The bank spent the afternoon terming out some of its short-term borrowing with longer-term debt."
Terming may look like a clipped form of “terminating,” but its older core meaning is naming: giving something the word by which it will be known.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does terming come from?
The English verb term comes from Middle English and was borrowed through Old French from Latin terminus, meaning “boundary” or “limit.” Its familiar naming sense developed from the idea of setting a word or designation as the boundary of a subject's meaning. The verb also developed the sense of bringing something to an end, reflected in cognates such as terminate and terminal. Modern formations include terminology, formed with the Greek-derived suffix -logy meaning “study of” or “science of.”
How terming is actually used
The naming sense is common in formal prose, while the sense involving ending a service or arrangement is chiefly technical. The abstract nominal use of the word is possible but much less frequent.
Easily confused with terming
Terming usually means applying a name or designation, whereas terminating means bringing something to an end; technical usage can blur this distinction when “term” itself means termination.