Quick Definition
ἀποκτείνω v. I put to death, kill
Strong's Definition
from 575 and kteino (to slay); to kill outright; figuratively, to destroy
KJV Usage: put to death, kill, slay
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | fut. ἀποκτενῶ · aor. ἀπέκτεινα · aor.pass. ἀπεκτάνθην | κτείνω (kill)
20.61 · Violence, Harm, Destroy, Kill · Kill
to kill to cause someone’s death, normally by violent means, with or without intent and with or without legal justification
MAT 10:28 · MAT 10:28 · MAT 14:5 · MAT 16:21 · MAT 17:23 · MAT 21:35 · MAT 21:38 · MAT 21:39 · MAT 22:6 · MAT 23:34 · MAT 23:37 · MAT 24:9 · MAT 26:4 · MRK 3:4 · MRK 6:19 · MRK 8:31 · MRK 9:31 · MRK 9:31 · MRK 10:34 · MRK 12:5 · MRK 12:5 · MRK 12:7 · MRK 12:8 · MRK 14:1 · LUK 9:22 · LUK 11:47 · LUK 11:48 · LUK 11:49 · LUK 12:4 · LUK 12:5 · LUK 13:4 · LUK 13:31 · LUK 13:34 · LUK 18:33 · LUK 20:14 · LUK 20:15 · JHN 5:18 · JHN 7:1 · JHN 7:19 · JHN 7:20 · JHN 7:25 · JHN 8:22 · JHN 8:37 · JHN 8:40 · JHN 11:53 · JHN 12:10 · JHN 16:2 · JHN 18:31 · ACT 3:15 · ACT 7:52 · ACT 21:31 · ACT 23:12 · ACT 23:14 · ACT 27:42 · ROM 7:11 · ROM 11:3 · 2CO 3:6 · 1TH 2:15 · REV 2:13 · REV 2:23 · REV 6:8 · REV 6:11 · REV 9:5 · REV 9:15 · REV 9:18 · REV 9:20 · REV 11:5 · REV 11:7 · REV 11:13 · REV 13:10 · REV 13:10 · REV 13:15 · REV 19:21
13.44 · Be, Become, Exist, Happen · State
to do away with, to eliminate (a figurative extension of meaning of ἀποκτείνω[a] ‘to kill,’ 20.61) to cause a state to cease, with the implication of strong emphasis and forceful action In EPH 2:16 there is a subtle rhetorical device employed in ascribing to Christ the activity of ‘killing,’ when in reality he was the one who was killed on the cross in order to make life possible.
1 Though some semanticists have analyzed terms meaning to kill as being simply a causative relating to death, that is, to cause to die or to cause to no longer live, this does not seem to be a satisfactory manner in which to treat the essential semantic components of expressions meaning to kill, to murder, to execute, etc. Though from the standpoint of propositional logic the results of the activities are essentially the same, nevertheless, the manner in which the death is produced is certainly different. The meaning of to kill involves unnatural death, normally a degree of violence, and often evil intent.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἀπο-κτείνω, and Aeol. -«τέννω (Mt. x. 28 LT Tr; Mk xii 5G LT Tr; Lk. xii. 4 LT Tr; 2 Co. 1. T Tr; cf. Fritzsche on Mk. p. 507 sq.; [7 Proleg. p. 79]; W. 83 (79); [B.61 (54) ]), ἀποκτένω (Grsb. in Mt. x. 28; Lk. xii. 4), ἀποκταίνω (Lehm. in 2 Co. iii. 6; Rev. xiii. 10), ἀποκτέννυντες (Mk. xii. 5 WH); fut. ἀποκτενῶ; 1 aor. ἀπέκτεινα ; Pass., pres. inf. ἀποκτέννεσθαι (Rev. vi. 11 ΟἿ, Τ Τὰ WH); 1 aor. ἀπεκτάνθην (Bim. Ausf. Spr. ii. 227; W.1.c.; [B. 41 (35 sq.)]); [fr. Hom. down]; 1. prop. to kill in any way whatever, (ἀπό i. e. so as to put out of the way; cf. [Eng. to kill of], Germ. abschlachten): Mt. xvi. 21; xxii. 6; Mk. vi. 19; ix. 31; Jn. v.18; viii. 22; Acts iii. 15; Rev. ii. 18, and very often ; [ἀποκτ. ἐν θανάτῳ, Rev. ii. 23; vi. 8, ef. B. 184 (159); W. 339 (319)]. to destroy (allow to perish): Mk. iii. 4 [yet al. take it here absol., fo kill]. 2. metaph. fo extinguish, abolish: τὴν ἔχθραν, Eph. ii. 16; to inflict moral death, Ro. vii. 11 (see ἀποθνήσκω, 11. 2) ; to deprive of spiritual life and procure eternal misery, 2 Co. iii. 6 [Lehm. ἀποκταίνει ; see above ].
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἀποκτείνω apokteinō 74x
also spelled ἀποκτέννω or ἀποκτένω, to kill, Mt. 14:5; to destroy, annihilate, Mt. 10:28; to destroy a hostile principle, Eph. 2:16; met. to kill by spiritual condemnation, Rom. 7:11; 2 Cor. 3:6
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἀπο-κτείνω
(also in late forms -κτέννω, Mt 10:28, a1., LTTr., -κτεννύω, Mk 12:5, WH), [in LXX for הרג, מוּת;]
to kill: Mt 14:5, al.; seq. instr. ἐν (q.v.), Eph 2:16, Re 2:23, al. Metaph.: Ro 7:11; τ. ἔχθραν, Eph 2:16; τὸ γράμμα ἀποκτείνει, II Co 3:6 (on the perfective force of this verb, v. M, Pr., 114).
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἀποκτείνω. P Magd 45 (iii/B.c.) ἀπέκτειναν, P Par 23° (B.C. 165) ἀποκτῖναι, 72. 11 verso * (B.C. 157) ἀποκτέναι (see Mayser, p- 70). The verb only occurs eleven times in Sy// index. In later papyri we can quote P Oxy VI. 903° (iv/a.p.) ἀποκτίνας αὐτοὺς τῶν πίλ]ηγῶν ‘half killed them with blows” (Edd.), PSI 2774 (v/a.p., Acts of a martyr), P Lips 1. gout? (law report, iv/v A.D.) ἠθέλησεν αὐτὸν ἀποκρῖναι (sic), P Gen I. 497° (iv/a.D.) [w]Anyés ἀπέϊκτ]εινάν pe —as in P Oxy VI. 903, the complainant was obviously not “kilt entoirely” ! P Lond 240 (a p. 346) (ΞΞ 11. p. 278) Part I, > , ἀπολαυσις ἀπέκτινέν μέ τε εἰ μή γ᾽ ἐς φυγὴν ἐχρησάμην, BGU IV. το 4111. 8° (iv/v A.D.) ξίφι ἀπέκζτεινε. For five centuries then we have no trace of this supposed common verb from popular sources : yet in the middle of this period it abounds in the NT texts, developing a whole series of curious forms in the present stem. Meanwhile it was flourishing in literature, to which perhaps it owes its return to the popular speech in the Byzantine age. A more extensive search in the ruder inscriptions outside Egypt is desirable, as it might prove that the word was in popular use in other countries. Indeed the NT is evidence of this by itself.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ἀποκτείνω (apokteinō) — to kill. ἀποκτείνω (later -κτέννω (which see): -κταίνω[NT]future -κτενῶ, Ionic dialect -κτενέω[Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist 1 ἀπέκτεινα[Refs 8th c.BC+]: perfect ἀπέκτονα[Refs 5th c.BC+]; pluperfect 3rd.pers.plural -εκτόνεσαν[Refs], Ionic dialect 3rd.pers.singular -εκτόνεε[LXX+5th c.BC+]: aorist 2 -έκτᾰνον[Refs 8th c.BC+], poetry 1st pers.plural ἀπέκταμεν[Refs 8th c.BC+], infinitive -κτάμεναι, -κτάμεν, [Refs 8th c.BC+]:—passive, late (ἀποθνήσκω being used as the passive by correct writers), present in [Refs 4th c.AD+]: aorist ἀπεκτάνθην[LXX+2nd c.AD+]: aorist 2 infinitive ἀποκτανῆναι[Refs 2nd c.AD+]: perfect infinitive ἀπεκτάνθαι[LXX+2nd c.BC+]:—but aorist middle in passive sense ἀπέκτατο[Refs 8th c.BC+]; participle ἀποκτάμενος[Refs]; compare ἀποκτείνυμι:— stronger form of κτείνω, kill, slay, Epic dialect, Ionic dialect, and the prevailing form in Attic dialect (compare ἀποθνήσκω): once in [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. of judges, condemn to death, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also of the accuser, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; put to death, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: generally of the law, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
3. metaphorically, τὸ σεμνὸν ὥς μ᾽ ἀ. τὸ σόν[Refs 5th c.BC+]; σὺ μή μ᾽ ἀπόκτειν) [Refs]