Abarim Publications' online Biblical Greek Dictionary
πους
The noun πους (pous) means foot (hence one octopus, two octopodes). It stems from the ancient Proto-Indo-European root ped-, from which also came our English word foot (and words like antipode, pedicure, expedite, impede, pajama, pawn, pedal, pedigree, pessimism, pew, pilot and podium).
The foot of an item or organism is its lowest point and the part of which upon it stands and rests. In Greek quite a bouquet of sayings and idiom surrounds the foot, most of it is rather literal and easily interpreted ('put under foot' means to subdue, 'lift the feet' means to get going, 'at one's feet' means to recline in one's close proximity). In our article on the Hebrew counterpart of this word, namely רגל (regel) we have a long look at the often cited assumption that in the Biblical languages feet often euphemize male genitalia.
The noun πους (pous) is used 93 times in the New Testament, see full concordance, and from it derives:
- Together with the adjective ορθος (orthos), meaning straight or upright: the verb ορθοποδεω (orthopodeo), to walk uprightly (Galatians 2:14 only).
- Together with the verb αρω (aro), to fit together: the adjective ποδηρης (poderes), which describes a garment that reached to one's feet (Revelation 1:13 only).
- The noun πεδον (pedon), literally a place of footing, or simply: base. This word isn't used independently in the New Testament but from it derive:
- The noun πεζα (peza), which is actually a proper variant of πους (pous) and originally meant the same. In Koine Greek this particular word came to denote the bottom end of something: the foot of a pole, the lower edge of a garment, the foot of a mountain, even a beach or bank or the coastline of a landmass. This particular word also isn't used independently in the New Testament, but from it come:
- The verb πεζευω (pezeuo), meaning to travel by land, rather than sea (Acts 20:13 only). This verb does not so much mean to go by foot, to go walking, but rather by "footing" or dry land. Author Luke tells us that Paul chose to travel to Assos "by land", which is also a poetic way of saying that he was trying to make it to whatever Assos stood for, via well-established doctrine, rather than via the mercurial sea of prophetic intuition (this ties into the cognitive aspect of the hydrological cycle: see our article on the noun νεφελη, nephele, cloud).
- Together with the prefix τετρα (tetra), meaning four: the noun τραπεζα (trapeza, hence our English words "trapezoid" and "trapezium"), which denotes a (four-legged) table of any kind (but in antiquity, tables were used to do business on, not to eat from). This word occurs 15 times, see full concordance, and from it comes:
- The noun τραπεζιτης (trapezites), meaning a money changer or banker (Matthew 25:27 only).
- The adjective πεδινος (pedinos), meaning plain-like (Luke 6:17 only), which derives from πεδιον (pedion), a plain or field, from πεδον (pedon), a place of footing. This word reminds both of the "broad plain" of the earth (Revelation 20:9, which uses πλατος, platos), and the noun τριβος (tribos), the smoothness that results from a countless multitude of pedestrians going all the same way, and so making a highway. Our noun πεδιον (pedion) appears to have served as a unit of agriculture, which is a field upon which many hands labor. In the Bible's greater metaphor of language-formation (which runs from Adam's sweaty brow to Jesus sowing seeds) corresponds to any fertile mythology or legendarium. Homer used this word clearly as such (Iliad 5.222, 12.283), and Luke too seems to have chosen this word for its obvious figurative sense.
- Together with the noun στρατια (stratia), army: the noun στρατοπεδον (stratopedon), army base or military camp (Luke 21:20 only). From this word in turn comes:
- Together with the verb αρχω (archo), to rule over: the noun στρατοπεδαρχης (stratopedarches), meaning camp commander (Acts 28:16 only).
- The noun πεζα (peza), which is actually a proper variant of πους (pous) and originally meant the same. In Koine Greek this particular word came to denote the bottom end of something: the foot of a pole, the lower edge of a garment, the foot of a mountain, even a beach or bank or the coastline of a landmass. This particular word also isn't used independently in the New Testament, but from it come:
- Again together with the prefix τετρα (tetra), meaning four: the adjective τετραπους (tetrapous), meaning four-footed (Acts 10:12, 11:6 and Romans 1:23 only).
- Together with the preposition υπο (hupo), meaning under, beneath: the noun υποποδιον (hupopodion), literally an underfoot thing: a footstool. In several quotes from the Hebrew Scriptures, the Greek term υποποδιον των ποδων (hupopodion ton podon) translates the term הדם רגלי (hedem regelai), or a cast-low thing for the feet. It is used 9 times; see full concordance.