terminus ante quem

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terminus ante quem

Where it comes from

From the Latin terminus (“boundary, limit”) and ante (“before”) and quem (“which”), the accusative of quī (“what”). Literally meaning "the limit before which".

noun

The date before which an event in the past must have occurred: the date before which a document must have been written, the date before which an archaeological artifact must have been deposited, and so on.
Opposite: terminus post quem, terminus a quo

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MLA

"terminus ante quem." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/terminus%20ante%20quem. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

terminus ante quem. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/terminus%20ante%20quem

Chicago

"terminus ante quem." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/terminus%20ante%20quem.

BibTeX

@misc{terminus_ante_quem_2026,
  title = {terminus ante quem},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/terminus%20ante%20quem},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}