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Terminal vs Adapter - What's the difference?

terminal | adapter |

As nouns the difference between terminal and adapter

is that terminal is terminal (at an airport etc) while adapter is adapter (device to allow compatibility).

terminal

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A building in an airport where passengers transfer from ground transportation to the facilities that allow them to board airplanes.
  • A rail station where service begins and ends; the end of the line. For example: Grand Central Terminal in New York City.
  • In electronics, the end of a line where signals are either transmitted or received, or a point along the length of a line where the signals are made available to apparatus.
  • An electric contact on a battery.
  • In telecommunications, the apparatus to send and/or receive signals on a line, such as a telephone or network device.
  • (computing) In the context of computer hardware, a device for entering data into a computer or a communications system and/or displaying data received, especially a device equipped with a keyboard and some sort of textual display.
  • (computing) A computer program that emulates a terminal (6).
  • (computing theory) A terminal symbol in a formal grammar.
  • Adjective

    (-)
  • (illness) Fatal; resulting in death.
  • (example) terminal cancer
  • Appearing at the end; top or apex of a physical object.
  • Occurring at the end of a word, sentence, or period of time.
  • Synonyms

    * (appearing at the end) final, late

    Antonyms

    * (l) * (illness) early * (appearing at the end) initial, early

    Anagrams

    * ----

    adapter

    Alternative forms

    * (l)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who is capable of adapting well to differing situations.
  • He was an able adapter , and could easily adjust to the differences when the company changed ownership.
  • One who adapts a thing, e.g. a play.
  • The critic gave rave reviews to the adapter of the ancient play, who worked to give the text more relevance to the modern day.
  • A device or application used to achieve operative compatibility between devices that otherwise are incompatible.
  • He had an adapter that let him plug his phone into the car's cigarette lighter for power.
  • * '>citation
  • # Specifically, a device that permits two, three, or more plugs to be used at a single electrical power point.
  • The wall outlet sprouted an electrical monstrosity of adapters''' plugged into '''adapters that sparked ominously.
  • # Specifically, a device that allows one format of plug to be used with a different format of socket.
  • We bought adapters to use our three-prong plugs in the two-prong, unpolarized outlets of the old house.
  • # Specifically, an AC-adaptor: a device that reduces voltage and converts AC to DC to allow a battery-powered device to use mains power.
  • I lost my cellphone's adaptor so I couldn't recharge it.
  • Derived terms

    * AC adapter * power adapter

    Anagrams

    * ----