ἀφρίζω
aphrízō
G875 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To foam or froth at the mouth; to exhibit bubbling or spuming saliva, especially as a symptom of physical distress such as seizures or convulsions. The term is used both of literal foaming at the mouth and, by extension, of the emission of froth generally in contexts involving fitful or violent bodily reactions.
Semantic Range
to foam at the mouth, to emit foam or froth, to exhibit symptoms of convulsions or seizures (including frothing), to produce foam (applied to liquids or persons experiencing paroxysms)
Root / Etymology
Derived from ἀφρός (foam, froth) with the verbal suffix -ίζω indicating repeated or continuous action; thus, 'to produce foam' or 'to become foamy.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical and Hellenistic Greek, ἀφρίζω is used primarily in a literal sense for foaming, commonly applied to water, surfaces, or sometimes physical reactions of animals and humans. In the New Testament and medical writers, the verb appears characteristically in reference to symptoms of epilepsy or demonic possession, describing a person frothing at the mouth as part of violent physical convulsions (cf. Mark 9:18, 20). This usage reflects both medical and folk understandings of illness in the Greco-Roman and Jewish worlds. English Bible translations typically render ἀφρίζω narrowly as "to foam (at the mouth)", but the Greek was not strictly limited to this medical context. Related to (but not synonymous with) ἀφρός (the noun for 'foam' itself), which is broader and more widely attested in metaphorical and literal senses.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ἀφρός; to froth at the mouth (in epilepsy):--foam.
Root Family
ἀφρίζω (aphrizō) — to foam, to froth, to bubble forth
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G875-02 |
ἀφρίζων | aphrizon | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
foaming | foaming | foaming | 1 |
G875-01 |
ἀφρίζει | aphrizei | V PRS ACT IND 3P SG |
foams | he foams | he foams | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences