Definition
An insulated mounting block fitted with a row of metal connection points (terminals) used to join, anchor, and organize aircraft electrical wires. Each terminal accepts one or more wire ends secured by a screw, stud, or clamp, allowing wires to be connected, separated, or traced without splicing.
Plain English
A small plastic or insulating block with a line of screws or studs along it. Wires are attached to those screws so they can be joined together neatly, kept apart from each other, and easily found later for testing or repair.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft electrical systems during maintenance, inspection, troubleshooting, and equipment installation.
Derivation
Terminal comes from the Latin terminus meaning 'end' or 'boundary.' A terminal strip is literally a strip carrying the end-points of wires.
Why Pilots Care
Loose, corroded, or incorrectly torqued terminal strip connections are a common source of intermittent electrical faults. Mechanics inspecting an electrical squawk often start at the terminal strips because they are the easiest place for a connection to work loose over time.
Intuition Check
Do not read terminal here as an airport passenger building, and do not read strip as a runway area. In this maintenance context, terminal means a wire connection point, and terminal strip means a row of those points.
Example Sentence 1
The mechanic traced the intermittent landing light fault to a loose ring terminal on the terminal strip behind the instrument panel.
Example Sentence 2
Corroded terminal strips were replaced to restore reliable power to the radios.