ψυχή
psychē
Modern Summary of Abbott-Smith’s Lexicon (1922)
The word "ψυχή" (psychē) primarily refers to the breath of life or the essence of life itself. It is often used to describe the soul as the center of emotions, desires, and will, or as a way to refer to a person or self. In some contexts, it is associated with divine grace and eternal salvation.
soul; the breath of life, the vital force
The Greek word psychē means "soul; the breath of life, the vital force," encompassing related ideas including heart, life, mind, soul.
Its Hebrew parallel is נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh), revealing shared conceptual ground across the biblical languages.
The semantic range of psychē — spanning meanings like heart, life, mind — suggests a word whose full significance cannot be captured by a single English term.
Lexical data derived from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. See full disclaimer
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