end-times
|end-times|
/ˈɛnd.taɪmz/
(end-time)
final period; apocalypse
Etymology
'end-times' originates from Modern English, a compound of 'end' and the plural of 'time' ('times'), where 'end' comes from Old English 'end' meaning 'boundary, limit' and 'time' comes from Old English 'tīma' meaning 'period, season'.
'end' derives from Old English 'end', and 'time' derives from Old English 'tīma' (from Proto-Germanic *tīmô); the compound 'end-time' appears in Middle to Early Modern English to denote a final period and later formed the plural 'end-times' to refer collectively to that era.
Initially, it literally meant 'the final time or season'; over time it has retained that core sense but broadened to include both strict theological/eschatological uses and looser metaphorical uses referring to crises or catastrophic periods.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the period regarded as the final phase of history or the world, often in a religious or eschatological context (the apocalypse; the last days).
Many religious groups believe the end-times will be marked by signs and disasters.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
used more loosely to describe a time of great trouble, crisis, or perceived moral decline (not strictly theological).
Journalists sometimes describe wars and pandemics as signs of the end-times in a metaphorical sense.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms
Last updated: 2025/12/09 10:20