1. Brief Overview:

Transliteration: Apokefalizō

Root Words: Derived from ἀπό (apo), meaning “from” or “away from,” and κεφαλή (kephalē), meaning “head.” Thus, ἀποκεφαλίζω means “to behead” or “to remove the head.”

Primary Meanings:

• To execute by decapitation or to cut off someone’s head.
• In a figurative sense, it can imply the act of completely eliminating or destroying someone or something.

2. Detailed Description:

BDAG (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich): BDAG defines ἀποκεφαλίζω as “to behead” or “to decapitate.” It highlights the term’s use in historical and execution contexts, emphasizing the act of removing the head as a form of capital punishment.

Thayer’s: Thayer’s Greek Lexicon describes ἀποκεφαλίζω as “to behead” or “to cut off the head.” It focuses on the literal meaning of decapitation and its use in describing executions.

Vines: According to Vines’ Expository Dictionary, ἀποκεφαλίζω means “to behead” or “to cut off the head,” specifically in the context of capital punishment or execution.

LSJ (Liddell-Scott-Jones): LSJ defines ἀποκεφαλίζω as “to decapitate” or “to behead.” It notes the term’s application in classical Greek to describe the act of removing someone’s head as a form of execution.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: Strong’s defines ἀποκεφαλίζω as “to behead,” focusing on the literal act of cutting off the head.

3. Usage in Classic Greek Literature:

Herodotus (Histories, 5th century BCE): Herodotus describes executions and punishments, including beheadings, using similar terms, reflecting the historical context of decapitation.

Thucydides (History of the Peloponnesian War, 5th century BCE): Thucydides uses related terms to describe executions and the act of beheading in the context of military and political events.

Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics, 4th century BCE): Aristotle discusses various forms of punishment and executions, including beheadings, illustrating the concept in philosophical and legal contexts.

4. Summary:

The Greek word ἀποκεφαλίζω (Apokefalizō) means “to behead” or “to decapitate.” It denotes the act of cutting off someone’s head, typically as a form of execution or capital punishment. In classical Greek literature, it is used to describe historical and legal contexts involving beheadings. The term is associated with the literal and figurative elimination of individuals or entities, reflecting its use in describing severe and final acts of removal or destruction.