ναῦς
naûs
G3491 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A vessel or ship, typically seaworthy and capable of carrying people or cargo. In its primary sense, ναῦς refers to a watercraft designed for navigation on rivers, lakes, or seas, from small boats to large ships, with a particular emphasis in many contexts on larger, sea-going vessels. Extended meanings may include figurative reference to a journey or enterprise.
Semantic Range
ship, large boat, sea-going vessel, merchantman, warship, transport, (rarely) small boat
Root / Etymology
Traditionally connected to the Greek root ναυ- (related to the idea of floating or ship), but the ultimate origin is uncertain and may stem from a pre-Greek or Mediterranean substrate, as the word appears in several early Indo-European languages in similar forms (e.g., Latin navis, Sanskrit náuḥ).
Historical & Contextual Notes
The word ναῦς is one of the oldest and most standard Greek terms for a watercraft, documented since Mycenaean Greek (Linear B: na-u-si). In classical literature, ναῦς is the general term for any kind of ship, frequently those used for warfare, commerce, or travel, in contrast to terms such as πλοῖον (pleion), which often denotes smaller or more generic vessels in Hellenistic and New Testament usage. In Septuagint and New Testament contexts, ναῦς appears less often than πλοῖον; πλοῖον tends to predominate in the NT, where ναῦς may denote a larger or principal ship, especially in maritime journeys involving the Mediterranean (e.g., Acts 27-28). English 'ship' typically translates ναῦς adequately for larger vessels, but does not always convey the full range from large merchantman to military galley. Septuagint usage reflects both Hebrew אָנִיָּה ('aniyyah', ship) and צִי ('tsi', fleet/cargo ship).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from or (to float); a boat (of any size):--ship.
Root Family
ναῦς (naus) — ship, vessel, watercraft
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3491-01 |
ναῦν | naun | N ACC F SG |
ship | a ship | ship | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3491-01 |
Acts 27:41 | ναῦν | naun | N ACC F SG |
ship | a ship | ship |