ὑγρός
hygrós
G5200 attributive adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
Principally, wet, moist, or fluid — describing a state of containing or saturated with liquid. In extended uses, can denote something fresh (particularly of wood: full of sap, 'green'), or living in contrast to dry or withered. Also used for substances in a liquid state as opposed to solid. Contextually applied to wood, land, or other material objects that are distinguished by their moistness, freshness, or living quality.
Semantic Range
wet, moist, full of moisture, fresh (especially of wood, i.e., 'green' in the sense of sappy or living), liquid (as opposed to solid), fresh/living in contrast to dry or dead
Root / Etymology
From the root ὑγρ-; related to ὑετός (rain) but not strictly derived from it. The sense is based in Proto-Indo-European *wegw-ro- meaning 'wet, moist.' Present in ancient Greek as ὑγρός.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, ὑγρός broadly referred to anything wet, moist, or fluid—opposite to ξηρός (dry). In Hellenistic and Koine periods, especially in the Septuagint and New Testament, ὑγρός is most often encountered in contexts concerning wood (living, sappy wood vs. dry, dead wood) or metaphorically in reference to life and freshness versus dryness and death. In Lk 23:31, the contrast of 'green (ὑγρός) wood' with 'dry (ξηρός)' wood evokes the imagery of living/fresh versus dead/ready for burning. Modern English translations sometimes render ὑγρός as 'green' when referencing wood, but this is an interpretive translation corresponding to the ancient connection of moisture and life/freshness. The term is not limited to vegetal contexts and in wider Greek can refer to any liquid or moist state (including soils, bodily states, and elements). It is distinct from ὑδάτινος, which emphasizes being 'of water,' and from ῥευστός, emphasizing fluidity or flow. The semantic scope is broader than the gloss 'green' suggests.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the base of ὑετός; wet (as if with rain), i.e. (by implication) sappy (fresh):--green.
Root Family
ὑγρ- (hygrós) — wet, moist, fluid
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5200-01 |
ὑγρῷ | ugro | ADJ.A DAT N SG |
green | to the moist | moist | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5200-01 |
Luke 23:31 | ὑγρῷ | ugro | ADJ.A DAT N SG |
green | to the moist | moist |