What is/are the origin/s of the use of “to end” to mean "to kill a person"?

Last night on two shows that I usually watch back-to-back on Tuesdays (NCIS and its spinoff set in New Orleans), the verb “end” was used in a way that seemed to mean “kill” (terminate/do away with/etc) a person ("When you catch him, end him”).

I realize that at least one synonym of “end” is used for “kill” (terminate) and that many slang words are used for “kill” (off/whack/waste, for example), but I had never heard “end” used as a [transitive] verb like this for killing a person until last night on those two different shows/occasions.

“Urban dictionary” doesn’t shed any light under either “end” or “kill,” and other generally accurate sources for informal usage don’t make the connection for me either:

http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-thesaurus/kill

http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kill

Perhaps this usage is simply a logical extension of “end” (by way of its synonym “terminate”) and I could also see where it could possibly be a shortened version of

“[put an] END [to] HIM” or “END [his days],”

but, again, it is new to me so here's my question:

What is/are the origin/s of the use of “end” this way and is the fact that I heard it for the first time last night indicate that it is gaining in popularity (or merely that I haven’t been listening close enough)?

Solution 1:

is the fact that I heard it for the first time last night indicate that it is gaining in popularity (or merely that I haven’t been listening close enough)?

I would suggest the latter; if you haven't been inattentive, then you've merely been observing the wrong examples of filmed entertainment. This use has been moderately common in pop culture throughout the 00s/teens, most often in the phrase "I will end you," used as a threat. With some casual research, the earliest example of that particular construction which I've been able to find is the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. That film's popularity and quotability may have spread the phrase.