πλόος

plóos

G4144 noun

SILEX Entry

Root πλέω to sail, to travel by sea, to float

Definition

A sailing, act of traveling by sea or navigation by ship; refers primarily to the act or process of making a voyage by sea, but may also refer to the voyage itself as an event or to the course taken on the sea.

Semantic Range

sailing, sea voyage, act of traveling by ship, maritime journey, passage by sea, course at sea

Root / Etymology

From the verb πλέω (to sail, to go by ship). The noun formation (-ος ending) denotes the process or result of the verbal action.

Historical & Contextual Notes

πλόος is attested in both classical and Hellenistic Greek for the action or process of sailing, not limited to a specific kind of ship or voyage. In the Hellenistic and New Testament periods, its primary meaning remains 'voyage by sea' or 'sea journey.' It is stylistically more formal than the synonym πλεῦσις and occurs less frequently. In Septuagint and New Testament usage, πλόος generally denotes a segment of a maritime journey (e.g., Acts 21:1; 27:9). The term is often translated as 'voyage' or 'sailing' in English Bibles, though these do not always capture the sense of the process or the event as a whole. The semantic range does not typically include the physical sail of a ship (for which ἱστίον is used). The core meaning remains focused on the act or event of sailing or making a passage by sea.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from πλέω; a sail, i.e. navigation:--course, sailing, voyage.

Root Family

πλόος (plóos) — sailing, sea voyage, maritime journey, passage by sea

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G4144-02 πλοῦν ploun N ACC M SG voyage a sea voyage 2
G4144-01 πλοὸς ploos N GEN M SG voyage of sea-voyage 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G4144-02 Acts 21:7 πλοῦν ploun N ACC M SG voyage a sea voyage
G4144-01 Acts 27:9 πλοὸς ploos N GEN M SG voyage of sea-voyage
G4144-02 Acts 27:10 πλοῦν ploun N ACC M SG voyage a sea voyage