ἀφεδρών (G856) — Greek Lexicon

ἀφεδρών

aphedrṓn

G856 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A place set apart for bodily functions, specifically a latrine or toilet (a privy); used in Greek literature and texts to refer to a place designated for the elimination of waste. The term refers concretely to any structure or area intended for human excretion, and by extension, can reference the act of defecation or waste expulsion, though the noun itself typically indicates the location rather than the act.

Semantic Range

latrine, privy, toilet, excretion place, place for bodily elimination

Root / Etymology

Derived from the preposition ἀπό (from, away from) and ἕδρα (seat, sitting), referring to sitting away from the communal or public areas. The formation denotes a seating set apart, hence a secluded place for bodily evacuation.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term ἀφεδρών is relatively rare and specialized, used notably in medical and anatomical literature of the Hellenistic and Roman periods as well as in daily contexts. In the New Testament (Mark 7:19; Matthew 15:17), it is used in discussions of bodily processes to indicate the place where waste exits the body, that is, a latrine. By extension, 'ελθόν εἰς τὸν ἀφεδρῶνα' ('going into the latrine') is a euphemism for elimination. The Septuagint does not commonly use this term; it appears primarily in later Hellenistic and Roman sources, including medical writers such as Galen. Unlike some English translations that use 'draught' as a euphemism, the Greek refers straightforwardly to a physical place (latrine, privy) with no necessary euphemism. The meaning remained stable across Koine sources, and there is no significant semantic shift in the word between classical and later Greek. Its use contrasts with other terms for bodily impurity, which might focus on ritual defilement rather than the physical act or place.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from a compound of ἀπό and the base of ἑδραῖος; a place of sitting apart, i.e. a privy:--draught.

Root Family

ἀφεδρών (aphedrōn) — seat apart, secluded sitting place, latrine, privy

Root ἑδρ- to sit, seat, place of sitting

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G856-01`	ἀφεδρῶνα	aphedrona	`N ACC M SG`	draught	a latrine	latrine	2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G856-01`	Matthew 15:17	ἀφεδρῶνα	aphedrona	`N ACC M SG`	draught	a latrine	latrine
`G856-01`	Mark 7:19	ἀφεδρῶνα	aphedrona	`N ACC M SG`	sewer	a latrine	latrine

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