It doesn't indicate the start of a new line, or files would start with it. Files end with it, which is why it is a line terminator. And it is by definition: by

It doesn't indicate the start of a new line, or files would start with it. Files end with it, which is why it is a line terminator. And it is by definition: by the standard, by the way cat and/or your shell and/or your terminal work together, and by the way standard utilities like `wc` treat the file.