πυρέσσω (G4445) — Greek Lexicon

πυρέσσω

pyréssō

G4445 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

to be inflamed with heat, specifically, to have a fever or experience a state of bodily feverishness. The term refers primarily to the physical condition of being affected by fever—characterized by heightened body temperature and symptoms typically associated with illness. In later medical and literary contexts, it can refer more generally to experiencing burning heat, especially as a sign of sickness.

Semantic Range

to be affected by fever, to burn with fever, to have a bodily fever, to be inflamed due to illness

Root / Etymology

Derived from πυρά (meaning 'fire, pyre, or heap for burning'), itself from πῦρ ('fire'), with the denominative verbal suffix -έσσω. The word thus literally means 'to be fiery' or 'to be burning.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Though rare in classical Greek, πυρέσσω appears in some Hellenistic and medical sources with the sense of suffering from fever or burning with fever. In Koine Greek, including New Testament Greek (e.g., Matthew 8:14, Luke 4:38), the word specifically denotes being ill with a fever—a condition seen as a serious ailment requiring urgent intervention. In medical writings (e.g., Hippocratic corpus), the term is part of the vocabulary for diagnosing bodily states marked by abnormal heat or inflammation. Standard English renderings as 'to be sick of a fever' capture the immediate symptomatic sense but may miss the broader semantic possibility of bodily burning or inflammation. The term is not used metaphorically in major biblical literature; its usage is distinctly medical and physical. Related nouns (πυρετός — 'fever') and verbs (πυρέτω — alternative form) developed alongside it, reinforcing the specificity of medical meaning. Contrasts with more general terms for illness such as νοσέω ('to be ill, to suffer disease').

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from πυρά; to be on fire, i.e. (specially), to have a fever:--be sick of a fever.

Root Family

πυρέσσω (pyréssō) — to burn, to be inflamed, to be feverish

Root πυρ- to burn, to be inflamed, to be feverish

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G4445-02`	πυρέσσουσαν	puressousan	`V PRS ACT PTCP ACC F SG`	feverish	burning with fever	burning with fever	1
`G4445-01`	πυρέσσουσα	puressousa	`V PRS ACT PTCP NOM F SG`	with a fever	burning with fever	burning with fever	1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G4445-02`	Matthew 8:14	πυρέσσουσαν	puressousan	`V PRS ACT PTCP ACC F SG`	feverish	burning with fever	burning with fever
`G4445-01`	Mark 1:30	πυρέσσουσα	puressousa	`V PRS ACT PTCP NOM F SG`	with a fever	burning with fever	burning with fever

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