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ἄτεκνος

áteknos

G815 predicate adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

Lacking offspring; without a child or children. The primary sense is of a person who does not have children, either due to being unmarried, barren, or for other reasons. In some contexts, the word also conveys the state of being childless as a cause of social or personal loss, or marking the end of a familial line.

Semantic Range

childless, without children, lacking descendants, not having offspring

Root / Etymology

From the prefix ἀ- (a-, 'not, without', negative particle) and τέκνον ('child'). Thus, ἄτεκνος literally means 'without child.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

The word ἄτεκνος is rare in surviving Greek literature, with attestations primarily in Koine and post-classical sources. In classical Greek, the state of being childless was commonly expressed by terms like ἄπαις (apais), but ἄτεκνος became more common in the Hellenistic and later periods, often emphasizing the absence of descendants (τέκνα) rather than children in general (παῖδες). In the cultural context of the ancient Eastern Mediterranean, being childless could carry strong negative social or personal connotations, since lineage, inheritance, and family continuity were valued. In the Septuagint or New Testament, ἄτεκνος is used when translation traditions render Hebrew words for barrenness or lack of offspring. Standard English translations often simply use 'childless,' but the Greek term may carry a stronger sense of social loss or familial absence.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from Α (as a negative particle) and τέκνον; childless:--childless, without children.

Root Family

τεκν- (tekníon) — to beget, to bear (offspring), child

Root τεκν- child, offspring, descendant
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G5040 τεκνίον dear little children

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G815-01 ἄτεκνος ateknos ADJ.P NOM M SG without children childless childless 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G815-01 Luke 20:28 ἄτεκνος ateknos ADJ.P NOM M SG without children childless childless
G815-01 Luke 20:29 ἄτεκνος ateknos ADJ.S NOM M SG without children childless childless
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