ἀμάραντος (G263) — Greek Lexicon

ἀμάραντος

amárantos

G263 attributive adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

Unfading, imperishable; describes something that does not wither, decay, or lose its excellence or quality over time. In extended use, denotes enduring, perpetual, or everlasting, especially in reference to qualities, rewards, or crowns that do not diminish.

Semantic Range

unfading, imperishable, perpetual, never-withering, enduring, everlasting

Root / Etymology

Formed from the alpha privative (ἀ-, 'not') and a presumed derivative of μαραίνω ('to wither, to fade'), meaning 'that which does not fade.' The precise derivational path is uncertain but based on standard Greek morphological patterns for adjectives of privation.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The adjective ἀμάραντος occurs rarely in extant Greek literature, with New Testament and later Christian authors employing it to describe unfading virtues or rewards, notably the 'unfading crown' (ἀμαράντινος στέφανος, 1 Peter 5:4). In Hellenistic and later Greek, it evokes the image of a flower that never withers (contrast μαραίνω, 'wither,' especially of plants), and thus came to be used figuratively of incorruptible or perpetual things. Its poetic nuance aligns with literary trends valuing the imperishable and contrasts with terms like φθαρτός ('perishable') or μαραίνω ('to fade'). English translations like 'unfading' or 'imperishable' capture the sense, but may miss the specific imagery of withering and floral beauty present in the Greek. Not attested in the Septuagint, and rare outside Christian writings, where it becomes a keynote description of eternal inheritance or reward. Later patristic writers occasionally use ἀμάραντος with similar force.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from Α (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of μαραίνω; unfading, i.e. (by implication) perpetual:--that fadeth not away.

Root Family

ἀμάραντος (amárantos) — unfading, imperishable, never-withering, enduring

Root μαραν- to fade, to wither, to decay (negated: not to fade/wither)

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G263-01`	ἀμάραντον	amaranton	`ADJ.A ACC F SG`	unfading	unfading	unfading	1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G263-01`	1 Peter 1:4	ἀμάραντον	amaranton	`ADJ.A ACC F SG`	unfading	unfading	unfading

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