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τελευτή

teleutḗ

G5054 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Completion, fulfillment, or cessation—primarily referring to the end of life (death) but also more broadly any termination or consummation. In literary and Koine Greek, τελευτή most often denotes the event or fact of dying, but it can also emphasize the conclusion of a process, task, or the end point of something.

Semantic Range

completion, cessation, ending (of life or action), physical death, moment of dying, fulfillment of lifespan

Root / Etymology

From the verb τελευτάω ('to finish, to complete, to die'), which derives from the root τελε(υ)-, indicating completion or reaching an end. Related to τέλεος ('complete') and τέλος ('end, goal').

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, τελευτή is commonly used to mark the end of life, i.e., death, as in Homer and later writers. The term also sometimes denotes an ending more generally, including the completion of an action or lifecycle. In Koine Greek, including the New Testament and Septuagint, it nearly always refers specifically to death, especially the moment or fact of dying, rarely as an abstract state. Standard English translations usually render it as 'death,' but this can obscure its etymological nuance of fulfillment or completion. The more common general term for 'death' is θάνατος, whereas τελευτή conveys the idea of a finishing point or culmination, often with existential or narrative significance. It appears infrequently in the New Testament but has a presence in the Septuagint, where it often translates Hebrew terms for dying or the end of someone's life. Compared to τέλος, which denotes 'end' in a more abstract or teleological sense, τελευτή is more concretely tied to mortality and personal narrative conclusion.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from τελευτάω; decease:--death.

Root Family

τελευτή (teleutē) — completion, ending, cessation, death

Root τελευτ- to complete, to finish, to die

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G5054-01 τελευτῆς teleutes N GEN F SG death of completion death 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G5054-01 Matthew 2:15 τελευτῆς teleutes N GEN F SG death of completion death
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