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ψιθυριστής

psithyristḗs

G5588 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

One who whispers; specifically, a person who speaks in low tones or murmurs about others, often in order to convey slander, malicious gossip, or secret criticism. In literary and moral contexts, it denotes someone engaging in covert disparagement or harmful talk against others behind their backs.

Semantic Range

whisperer, secret slanderer, covert gossip, one who undermines others by whispered speech

Root / Etymology

From the root ψιθυρ- (psithyr-), related to the act of whispering or murmuring, with the agentive masculine suffix -ιστής (-istēs) meaning 'one who does' or 'practitioner'. It is derived from ψιθυρίζω (to whisper, to speak covertly).

Historical & Contextual Notes

First attested in late Classical Greek and more common in Hellenistic and Koine. It appears rarely in broader Greek literature, more frequently in moral or ethical discourses to characterize someone who undermines social harmony through secretive gossip or slander. In the Greek Bible (LXX, NT, e.g., Romans 1:29), ψιθυριστής evokes the image of a figure who spreads discord by speaking ill of others in hushed tones rather than openly accusing them. Distinguished from κατάλαλος (backbiter) in that the latter is more overt, while ψιθυριστής emphasizes the clandestine, conspiratorial nature of the speech. English translations such as 'whisperer', 'slanderer', or 'gossip' often capture part of the sense but may miss the stress on secrecy and subversion present in the Greek.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from the same as ψιθυρισμός; a secret calumniator:--whisperer.

Root Family

ψιθυρ- (psithyrismós) — to whisper, to murmur

Root ψιθυρ- to whisper, to murmur, to speak softly or secretly
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G5587 ψιθυρισμός covert whisperings

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G5588-01 ψιθυριστάς psithuristas N ACC M PL gossips secret whispering slanderers whisperers 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G5588-01 Romans 1:29 ψιθυριστάς psithuristas N ACC M PL gossips secret whispering slanderers whisperers
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