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terminal

terminal definition - telecom

A device that constitutes a point of termination of a communications circuit or channel, i.e., a transmitter or receiver, also known respectively as a source or sink.
In telecommunications, a voice terminal is a telephone set, which can take many forms, including a simple analog rotary dial set, a digital smartphone, a digital softphone, and a cellular telephone.
In data communications, a device comprising a keyboard, video adapter, and monitor. A data terminal is a dumb terminal, i.e., it does no independent processing, but relies on the computational resources of a computer to which it is connected over a dedicated circuit or through a network. A data terminal essentially is an input/output (I/O) device. See also DTE and terminal emulation.

Webster's New World Telecom Dictionary Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.