πετεινόν (G4071) — Greek Lexicon

πετεινόν

peteinón

G4071 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A creature that flies or is winged; primarily denotes a bird, but in certain contexts refers more broadly to flying animals. The word generally indicates birds of various kinds as distinct from animals that walk or crawl. In figurative contexts, can refer generically to the class of flying creatures or to birds as representatives of freedom or mobility.

Semantic Range

flying creature, bird (of any kind), fowl, winged animal (rarely in broader sense), class of birds or generic reference to birds as a group

Root / Etymology

From the verb πέτομαι (to fly, to move through the air). πετεινόν is the neuter form of the adjective πετεινός, meaning 'flying' or 'winged', which derives from the same root as πέτομαι. Thus, πετεινόν is originally an adjectival substantive referring to 'that which flies.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

πετεινόν appears in earlier Greek literature as both an adjective ('flying, winged') and, substantivized, as a noun ('bird'). In the Septuagint, it is the standard rendering for Hebrew עוֹף (ʿôf), meaning birds or flying creatures, and occurs in lists alongside quadrupeds and creeping things. In the New Testament and Hellenistic Greek, it generally refers to birds in the biological or class-based sense rather than to a specific type of bird. English translations often limit πετεινόν to 'bird' or 'fowl,' but its range includes any animal characterized by flight, similar to Hebrew. In popular Greek usage outside of specific zoological works, the word does not refer to insects or bats, which would be specified differently. The English term 'fowl' (in KJV and others) may sound archaic or imply domesticated birds, which is not a distinction made by the Greek term.

Translation Consistency

primary "bird" 14 occurrences

πετεινόν most commonly denotes a bird or flying creature. Choosing the simple, natural noun “bird” fits typical usage across contexts (singular base form that can be inflected as needed), is more natural than the adjectival “winged,” and covers the primary semantic range of the lemma.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

neuter of a derivative of πέτομαι; a flying animal, i.e. bird:--bird, fowl.

Root Family

πετεινόν (peteinon) — flying creature, bird, winged being

Root πετειν- to fly, to be winged

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G4071-01`	πετεινὰ	peteina	`N ACC N PL`	birds	winged creatures	birds	11
`G4071-02`	πετεινῶν	peteinon	`N GEN N PL`	birds	of the flying creatures	of the birds	3

Occurrences in Scripture

14 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G4071-01`	Matthew 6:26	πετεινὰ	peteina	`N ACC N PL`	birds	winged creatures	birds
`G4071-01`	Matthew 8:20	πετεινὰ	peteina	`N NOM N PL`	birds	winged creatures	birds
`G4071-01`	Matthew 13:4	πετεινὰ	peteina	`N NOM N PL`	birds	winged creatures	birds
`G4071-01`	Matthew 13:32	πετεινὰ	peteina	`N ACC N PL`	birds	winged creatures	birds
`G4071-01`	Mark 4:4	πετεινὰ	peteina	`N NOM N PL`	birds	winged creatures	birds
`G4071-01`	Mark 4:32	πετεινὰ	peteina	`N ACC N PL`	birds	winged creatures	birds
`G4071-01`	Luke 8:5	πετεινὰ	peteina	`N NOM N PL`	fowls	winged creatures	birds
`G4071-01`	Luke 9:58	πετεινὰ	peteina	`N NOM N PL`	birds	winged creatures	birds
`G4071-02`	Luke 12:24	πετεινῶν	peteinon	`N GEN N PL`	birds	of the flying creatures	of the birds
`G4071-01`	Luke 13:19	πετεινὰ	peteina	`N NOM N PL`	birds	winged creatures	birds
`G4071-01`	Acts 10:12	πετεινὰ	peteina	`N NOM N PL`	birds	winged creatures	birds
`G4071-01`	Acts 11:6	πετεινὰ	peteina	`N ACC N PL`	fowls	winged creatures	birds
`G4071-02`	Romans 1:23	πετεινῶν	peteinon	`N GEN N PL`	birds	of the flying creatures	of the birds
`G4071-02`	James 3:7	πετεινῶν	peteinon	`N GEN N PL`	of birds	of the flying creatures	of the birds

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