(More fully "remote terminal emulator") a program or device used to simulate a terminal interface for a computer system, allowing the computer to interact with a mainframe or (in later use) display a command line interface.
Origin
1970s.
Definition of terminal emulator in US English:
terminal emulator
noun
Computing
(More fully "remote terminal emulator") a program or device used to simulate a terminal interface for a computer system, allowing the computer to interact with a mainframe or (in later use) display a command line interface.