Exitus

Exitus is a Latin noun (masculine, fourth declension; nominative exitus, genitive exitūs) that denotes going out, departure, or an exit from a place. It is formed from the prefix ex- “out” and the verb -ire “to go.” In classical Latin, exitus commonly referred to physical leaving, such as a person departing from a city or leaving a building. The term also developed figurative senses related to ending or finishing.

Beyond its literal sense, exitus is used to describe the end, conclusion, or outcome of an event, action, or process. In legal and historical Latin, it can indicate the ultimate result of a case or matter, rather than the initial phase. The broader sense of culmination or consequence makes exitus a versatile term in Latin prose and rhetoric.

In medical Latin, exitus has a specialized meaning: death. Phrases such as exitus letalis (“lethal outcome”) or exitu moriendi refer to death as the outcome of illness or injury. This usage appeared in medieval and early modern clinical writing and continues to be encountered in historical discussions of medical Latin terminology.

In modern scholarship, exitus is not a common terms in everyday English, but it is encountered in translations, Latin phrases, or discussions of Latin grammar and medieval literature. Its core associations—exit, end, and death—remain the defining associations of the word.