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ἀλέκτωρ

aléktōr

G220 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ἀλέκτ- cock, rooster, male chicken

Definition

A male bird of the domestic species, specifically a cock or rooster. In Koine Greek contexts, refers to the male chicken, most often used literally. May be used figuratively for wakefulness or vigilance, drawing on the bird's role in marking times (e.g., the crowing of the cock signaling dawn). No evidence for expanded metaphorical senses beyond timekeeping and warning in New Testament and Second Temple sources.

Semantic Range

cock, rooster, male fowl, timekeeper (by crowing), signal of morning or night watch

Root / Etymology

From the root ἀλέκ-(ἀλέξω, 'to ward off, protect'), likely referring to the cock's role in defending or announcing, though the precise path of derivation is uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Classical Greek, ἀλέκτωρ appears as the standard term for a rooster or cock. By the Hellenistic and Roman periods, it continued to denote the domestic male chicken, particularly emphasized for its crowing (notably as a time indicator; e.g., 'the crow of the cock' to mark the night watches). In the New Testament, ἀλέκτωρ occurs in the context of Peter's denial and is understood unambiguously as a domestic rooster. There is no attestation in Koine Greek for use as a mythological title or in metaphor far beyond timekeeping. Later Christian tradition associates the cock with vigilance and repentance, but these connotations are not present in the earliest usage. English translations typically render the term as 'rooster' or 'cock,' which closely matches the Greek, though some older translations favor 'cock.' The Hebrew term תַּרְנְגוֹל (tarnegol) in the Mishnah denotes the same animal but does not appear in the Hebrew Bible; the Greek word is not a loanword. No evidence of the term being used for wild or non-domestic species in biblical Greek.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from (to ward off); a cock or male fowl:--cock.

Root Family

ἀλέκτωρ (alektōr) — cock, rooster, male chicken

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G220-01 ἀλέκτωρ alektor N NOM M SG rooster rooster 6
G220-02 ἀλέκτορα alektora N ACC M SG a rooster rooster 5

Occurrences in Scripture

11 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G220-02 Matthew 26:34 ἀλέκτορα alektora N ACC M SG rooster
G220-01 Matthew 26:74 ἀλέκτωρ alektor N NOM M SG rooster
G220-02 Matthew 26:75 ἀλέκτορα alektora N ACC M SG rooster
G220-02 Mark 14:30 ἀλέκτορα alektora N ACC M SG rooster rooster
G220-01 Mark 14:72 ἀλέκτωρ alektor N NOM M SG rooster rooster
G220-02 Mark 14:72 ἀλέκτορα alektora N ACC M SG a rooster rooster
G220-01 Luke 22:34 ἀλέκτωρ alektor N NOM M SG rooster rooster
G220-01 Luke 22:60 ἀλέκτωρ alektor N NOM M SG rooster rooster
G220-02 Luke 22:61 ἀλέκτορα alektora N ACC M SG a rooster rooster
G220-01 John 13:38 ἀλέκτωρ alektor N NOM M SG rooster rooster
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