Yes ‘death’ in tarot means the end of one thing to give way to birth of another.  Usually the transition means you’re moving into a better phase or chapter.  But tarot prophecies are for the immediate future not distant ones…usually centering around about 3-4 days.

Should’nt it be reincarnation then? Or did they not believe in reincarnation when the tarot deck was invented?

Reincarnation suggests that the first death (or last death) has already occurred so the passage has already happened.  Therefore, ‘death’ suggests that a transition is yet to happen.