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πορφυρόπωλις

porphyrópōlis

G4211 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A woman engaged in the trade or sales of purple-dyed fabrics or purple goods. In the New Testament context, refers specifically to a female merchant who deals in products made from or dyed with purple, a luxury item indicating high social status and wealth. The primary sense is that of a female dealer or merchant in purple cloth; more broadly, a businesswoman engaged in the luxury textile trade.

Semantic Range

woman merchant of purple-dyed cloth, female dealer in purple goods, businesswoman in luxury textiles

Root / Etymology

From πορφύρα (purple dye, or the material dyed with it) and πωλέω (to sell), with the feminine suffix -ις (-is), forming an agent noun. Thus, 'woman-seller-of-purple.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term πορφυρόπωλις is a compound unique to Koine Greek and appears infrequently in extant literature, with its most notable occurrence in Acts 16:14 referring to Lydia of Thyatira. In the Greco-Roman world, 'purple' (πορφύρα) was a luxury dye extracted from certain sea snails, and purple-dyed fabrics were reserved for the elite. As a πορφυρόπωλις, the person occupied an economically significant social role. The word denotes specifically a woman engaged in this trade, contrasting with the masculine πορφυροπώλης. The standard English rendering 'seller of purple' captures the occupation, but does not fully convey the exclusive, luxury nature of the goods nor the social status of such a merchant. The term does not merely mean 'seller of the color purple,' but of the costliest and most highly prized textiles available in the period. In Acts, the title σημείονizes Lydia’s status as an independent businesswoman—a notable distinction for a woman in the Roman Empire. There is no strict religious or ethnic connotation attached to the occupational term itself.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of a compound of πορφύρα and πωλέω; a female trader in purple cloth:--seller of purple.

Root Family

πορφύρ-, πωλ- (porphyrópōlis) — to dye purple, purple-dye, to sell

Root πορφύρ-, πωλ- to dye purple, purple-dye, to sell

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4211-01 πορφυρόπωλις porphuropolis N NOM F SG seller of purple purple-cloth merchant woman purple-cloth merchant woman 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4211-01 Acts 16:14 πορφυρόπωλις porphuropolis N NOM F SG seller of purple purple-cloth merchant woman purple-cloth merchant woman
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