The compound "sudden death" originates from the legal and theological concept of a death that occurs without warning, not from prolonged illness. This literal sense of an abrupt, unexpected demise was metaphorically extended into competitive sports and games by the mid-19th century. The logic of the metaphor is direct: just as a sudden death ends life immediately, a "sudden-death" overtime period ends the contest decisively with the first score. This transition from a somber literal term to a dramatic descriptor for tie-breaking procedures illustrates how English repurposes vivid imagery to create specialized technical jargon.

Structure: sudden (adjective) + death (noun) - sudden: From Middle English 'sodein', from Anglo-French 'sodein', from Latin 'subitāneus' (sudden), from 'subitus' (sudden, unexpected). Functions as an adjective modifying the noun. - death: From Middle English 'deeth', from Old English 'dēaþ', from Proto-Germanic 'dauþuz'. Functions as a noun, the core object being described.