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ἄνυδρος

ánydros

G504 attributive adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

Lacking water, characterized by the absence of water or moisture; primarily means 'dry' or 'without water.' In various contexts, it can describe land, places, or objects that are dry or arid. In metaphorical use, it may convey 'barren' or 'lifeless.'

Semantic Range

dry, waterless, without water, arid, barren (literal and metaphorical), lacking moisture, inhospitable (especially of land or places); figuratively, unproductive, lacking vitality

Root / Etymology

Formed from the alpha privative (ἀ-, denoting negation) and ὕδωρ (water); thus, 'without water.' This formation is consistent with standard Greek compounding patterns involving the alpha privative.

Historical & Contextual Notes

ἄνυδρος occurs rarely in classical literature, where it straightforwardly refers to dry or waterless conditions, especially of land (e.g., desert or arid places). In Hellenistic and Koine Greek, its use expands, notably in the Septuagint and the New Testament (Matthew 12:43; Luke 11:24; 2 Peter 2:17; Jude 1:12), where it is employed of deserts or wildernesses (often translated as 'waterless places') and, metaphorically, of clouds or springs promising nourishment but proving empty ('waterless clouds' or 'springs'). English translations often render it as 'dry,' 'desert,' or 'waterless,' but these sometimes fail to express the full nuance, especially in metaphorical contexts where the sense is 'barren' or 'devoid of life-giving property.' In some texts it may allude to inhospitable spiritual or moral conditions rather than mere physical dryness. The contrast with terms like εὔυδρος (‘well-watered’) clarifies the strong emphasis on absence/lack and not merely minimal presence. The concept readily evokes the imagery of aridity, barrenness, and inhospitability across Greek literature.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from Α (as a negative particle) and ὕδωρ; waterless, i.e. dry:--dry, without water.

Root Family

ἄνυδρος (anydros) — without water, dry, arid, barren

Root ἀ- + ὑδρ- not, without; water

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G504-02 ἀνύδρων anudron ADJ.A GEN M PL waterless of waterless ones dry 2
G504-01 ἄνυδροι anudroi ADJ.A NOM F PL waterless waterless waterless 2

Occurrences in Scripture

4 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G504-02 Matthew 12:43 ἀνύδρων anudron ADJ.A GEN M PL waterless of waterless ones waterless
G504-02 Luke 11:24 ἀνύδρων anudron ADJ.A GEN M PL waterless of waterless ones dry
G504-01 2 Peter 2:17 ἄνυδροι anudroi ADJ.A NOM F PL without water waterless waterless
G504-01 Jude 1:12 ἄνυδροι anudroi ADJ.A NOM F PL waterless waterless waterless
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