terminator

Everyday

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 →

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.