shutdown

Etymology

From the verb phrase shut down.

noun

1. The action of stopping operations; a closing, of a computer, business, event, etc.
   You need to enter your password at startup, but it's not required at shutdown.
   There is a plastic molly-guard covering the escalator's shutdown button to prevent little kids from pushing it and stopping the escalator.
2. A statement, insult, etc. that prevents the opponent from replying further.
   When he insulted me, my reply was such a shutdown that he left the room.
3. (psychology) An autistic response to stress or sensory overload, in which the individual freezes up and becomes silent, motionless, and unresponsive.
   I retreated into myself and allowed myself to be swallowed into a typically autistic shutdown. 2018, Laura James, Odd Girl Out: My Extraordinary Autistic Life, unnumbered page
   I may even reach the point where I have an autistic shutdown, which means I'll be unable to communicate, interact or socialize. 2020, Siena Castellon, The Spectrum Girl's Survival Guide: How to Grow Up Awesome and Autistic, page 34
   Their [autistic girls'] distress could come out in all sorts of ways and result in meltdown or shutdown. 2021, Carly Jones, Safeguarding Autistic Girls: Strategies for Professionals, pages 61–62