The final part (terminal) of one of the branches of a nerve fiber, where a neuron makes contact either with another neuron at a synapse or with a muscle or gland cell at a neuromuscular or neuroglandular junction.
The termination of a nerve fiber (axon or dendrite) in a peripheral structure. It may be sensory (receptor) or motor (effector). Sensory endings can be non-encapsulated (e.g., free nerve endings, peritrichal endings, or tactile corpuscles of Merkel) or they can be encapsulated (e.g., end-bulbs of Krause, Meissner’s corpuscles, Vater-Pacini corpuscles, or neuromuscular and neurotendinous spindles).