πόσις (G4213) — Greek Lexicon

πόσις

pósis

G4213 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Act of drinking; the process or event of consuming a liquid, particularly in the sense of drinking a beverage. In rare instances, it may refer to a portion or draught to be drunk—that is, the amount to be consumed at one time. Contextual senses range from the general act of drinking (as in feasting or ritual drink offerings) to a specific drink (the thing drunk), though the former is primary.

Semantic Range

drinking (act or process), draught (portion to be drunk), occasion of drinking, consumption of a liquid

Root / Etymology

From an alternate form of πίνω (to drink); formed on the stem πό- (alternate root for 'to drink') with the nominal suffix -σις indicating action or process.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Greek literature, πόσις is a nominalization referring primarily to the activity or event of drinking rather than the concrete beverage (for which ποτόν and ποτήριον are more typical). Its usage is infrequent in both classical and Koine Greek. In the Septuagint and the New Testament, the term appears rarely, and more common expressions were used for the drink itself. In Hellenistic contexts, it might relate to ritual consumption (e.g., feast or libation), but without a technical sacrificial meaning. Standard translations often render it as 'drink,' but this may obscure the nuance that πόσις emphasizes the act/process rather than the object. This noun should also be distinguished from πότε (when?) and ποτήριον (cup, vessel for drinking).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from the alternate of πίνω; a drinking (the act), i.e. (concretely) a draught:--drink.

Root Family

πόσις (posis) — drinking, consumption of liquid, draught

Root πο- to drink, to consume (liquid)

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G4213-02`	πόσις	posis	`N NOM F SG`	drink	drinking	drink	2
`G4213-01`	πόσει	posei	`N DAT F SG`	drink	in drinking	drinking	1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G4213-02`	John 6:55	πόσις	posis	`N NOM F SG`	drink	drinking	drink
`G4213-02`	Romans 14:17	πόσις	posis	`N NOM F SG`	drinking	drinking	drinking
`G4213-01`	Colossians 2:16	πόσει	posei	`N DAT F SG`	drink	in drinking	drinking

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