ἄψυχος
ápsychos
G895 substantive adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
Lacking life or soul; inanimate, insensible, not endowed with consciousness or the animating principle. Used primarily to describe objects or entities that do not possess ψυχή (psyche; life, soul), specifically referring to what is not alive, animate, or sentient. In extended usage, can refer more broadly to being insensitive or lacking responsiveness.
Semantic Range
lifeless, inanimate, not alive, lacking a soul, insensible, nonliving, soulless
Root / Etymology
From the privative prefix ἀ- (not, without) and ψυχή (psyche; life, soul, self, living being); literally 'without soul' or 'soul-less.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
First attested in Classical Greek, though rare, ἄψυχος is used in Hellenistic and Koine texts to distinguish what is nonliving from the living (ἔμψυχος). In philosophical and medical literature, it serves to mark a division between animate and inanimate matter. In the LXX (e.g., Lev 11:31, Wisdom 13:17) and New Testament, the term highlights the absence of the life principle (ψυχή). English Bible translations typically render ἄψυχος as 'lifeless' or 'without life,' but the term's emphasis in Greek falls on the absence of a soul or animating life-principle, not only on biological death but also on the intrinsic lifelessness or insensibility of an object. In philosophical contexts, it can contrast with beings that possess reason or spirit as well as mere vital animation.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from Α (as a negative particle) and ψυχή; lifeless, i.e. inanimate (mechanical):--without life.
Root Family
ἄψυχος (apsychos) — life, soul, animating principle; lacking life
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G895-01 |
ἄψυχα | apsucha | ADJ.S NOM N PL |
lifeless things | soulless things | lifeless things | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G895-01 |
1 Corinthians 14:7 | ἄψυχα | apsucha | ADJ.S NOM N PL |
lifeless things | soulless things | lifeless things |