terminality

Terminality refers to the quality or condition of being terminal, relating to an end, boundary, or final state. It can denote end-states of processes, conditions at life’s end, or endpoints in systems.

In philosophy, terminality is closely related to teleology and final causes. The term is often used when discussing telos, or purposes toward which organisms or actions tend. Some theorists emphasize intrinsic terminal ends, while skeptics challenge teleological explanations.

In medical ethics, terminality often appears in discussions of terminal illness or terminal prognosis, defined as conditions with limited life expectancy and palliative care decisions. The concept informs care planning, consent, and quality-of-life considerations.

In computing and logic, a terminal state is one with no outgoing transitions, and a terminal symbol marks the end of a string in formal grammars. In workflow modeling, terminal nodes indicate completion.

The term is infrequent outside specialized contexts but appears in discussions of end-states in systems theory, ecology, and project management. Because terminal means end, the literal sense of terminality remains usefully descriptive across disciplines, though precise meanings vary by domain.