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πλοιάριον

ploiárion

G4142 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A small vessel or boat, especially a craft smaller than a standard ship (πλοῖον), used mainly for short trips or river or coastal travel. It refers to watercraft of limited size, sometimes employed for ferrying, fishing, or transport close to shore. In some contexts, it can denote a boat used to support a main ship or as an auxiliary vessel.

Semantic Range

small boat, little ship, auxiliary vessel, boat used for fishing or ferrying, craft smaller than a seagoing ship

Root / Etymology

Diminutive form of πλοῖον ('ship, boat'), from the root λόγ-, with the suffix -άριον indicating smallness. The word means 'little boat' or 'small craft.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

πλοιάριον appears in Koine Greek with the diminutive sense, distinguishing it from larger sea-going ships (πλοῖον). In the New Testament (Mark 3:9; 4:36; John 6:22-24; 21:8), it denotes a small boat, sometimes contrasted with the main vessel or referring to fishing boats typical of Lake Galilee. In wider Hellenistic usage, the diminutive is applied both to riverboats and small coastal craft. English versions often translate simply as 'boat,' occasionally 'small ship,' but this can obscure the intentional contrast with larger ships in the Greek context. The diminutive nuance emphasizes modest size rather than function. Rare outside biblical and Christian Greek, the term highlights the everyday, non-imperial craft of local inhabitants.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

neuter of a presumed derivative of πλοῖον; a boat:--boat, little (small) ship.

Root Family

πλοιάριον (ploiarion) — small boat, little vessel, auxiliary craft

Root πλοι- boat, ship, vessel

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4142-03 πλοιάριον ploiarion N NOM N SG a boat small boat small boat 2
G4142-02 πλοιαρίῳ ploiario N DAT N SG little boat to a small boat small boat 1
G4142-01 πλοιάρια ploiaria N ACC N PL boats small boats small boats 1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4142-03 Mark 3:9 πλοιάριον ploiarion N NOM N SG a boat small boat small boat
G4142-03 John 6:22 πλοιάριον ploiarion N NOM N SG boat small boat small boat
G4142-01 John 6:24 πλοιάρια ploiaria N ACC N PL boats small boats small boats
G4142-02 John 21:8 πλοιαρίῳ ploiario N DAT N SG little boat to a small boat small boat
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