Τέρτιος

Tértios

G5060 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A proper name meaning 'third,' used as a personal name. Functions in the New Testament as the name of an individual associated with Paul.

Semantic Range

third (as ordinal number, Latin name); used as a personal (Roman) name

Root / Etymology

From Latin 'Tertius', meaning 'third'. Borrowed directly into Greek without modification; not derived from a Greek word-root.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Τέρτιος appears in the New Testament only in Romans 16:22, identifying the individual serving as the amanuensis (scribe) who wrote out Paul's letter to the Roman community. The name Τέρτιος is Latin, not Greek, reflecting a Roman naming custom of numbering children (cf. Latin 'Tertius' = third-born or third son). The adoption of Roman names, especially Latin ordinal numbers, was common among slaves, freedpersons, and Roman citizens in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The Greek text preserves the Latin pronunciation and is not meaningfully translated; most English Bibles simply transliterate the name as 'Tertius'. The name does not have its own semantic range in Greek literature, serving exclusively as a proper name in the New Testament and other contemporaneous sources.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of Latin origin; third; Tertius, a Christian:--Tertius.

Root Family

Τέρτιος (Tértios) — third (ordinal), personal name

Root uncertain third (as ordinal; used as proper name)

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G5060-01 Τέρτιος tertios N NOM M SG Tertius Third Tertios 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G5060-01 Romans 16:22 Τέρτιος tertios N NOM M SG Tertius Third Tertios