Lexical Definition

‎κύριος‎ kýrios (koo'-ree-os) lord: God ^G:N-M
from (supremacy)

God, Lord, master, Sir.

• supreme in authority, i.e. (as noun) controller
• by implication, Master (as a respectful title)

Abbott-Smith

κύριος, -α, -ον (also -ος, -ον), [in LXX (subst.) chiefly for יהוה, also for אָדוֹן, בַּעַל, etc.;]
having power (κῦρος) or authority; as subst., ὁ κ., lord, master;
1. in general: c. gen. rei, Mt 9:38 20:8, Mk 12:9 13:35, Lk 19:33; τ. σαββάτου, Mt 12:8, Mk 2:28, Lk 6:5; c. gen. pers., δούλου, etc., Mt 10:24, Lk 14:21, Ac 16:16, al.; absol., opp. to οἱ δοῦλοι, Eph 6:5, 9, al.; of the Emperor (Deiss., LAE, 161), Ac 25:26; θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κ. πολλοί, I Co 8:5; of a husband, I Pe 3:6; in voc., as a title of respect to masters, teachers, magistrates, etc., Mt 13:27 16:22 27:63, Mk 7:28, Lk 5:12, Jo 4:11, Ac 9:5, al.
2. As a divine title (freq. in π.; Deiss., LAE, 353 ff.); in NT,
(a) of God: ὁ κ., Mt 5:33, Mk 5:19, Lk 1:6, Ac 7:33, He 8:2, Ja 4:15, al.; anarth. (Bl., § 46, 6), Mt 21:9, Mk 13:20, Lk 1:17, He 7:21, I Pe 1:25, al.; κ. τ. οὐρανοῦ καὶ τ. γῆς, Mt 11:25; τ. κυριευόντων, I Ti 6:15; κ. ὁ θεός, Mt 4:7, 10 al.; id. seq. ὁ παντοκράτωρ, Re 4:8; κ. σαβαώθ, Ro 9:29; (ὁ) ἄγγελος κυρίου, Mt 1:20 2:13, Lk 1:11, al.; πνεῦμα κυρίου, Lk 4:18, Ac 8:39;
(b) of the Christ: Mt 21:3, Mk 11:3, Lk 1:43 20:44, al.; of Jesus after his resurrection (Dalman, Words, 330), Ac 10:36, Ro 14:8, I Co 7:22, Eph 4:5, al.; ὁ κ. μου, Jo 20:28; ὁ κ. Ἰησοῦς, Ac 1:21, I Co 11:23, al.; id. seq. Χριστός, Eph 1:2, al.; ὁ κ. ἡμῶν, I Ti 1:14, He 7:14, al.; id. seq. Ἰησοῦς, I Th 3:11, He 13:20, al.; Χριστός, Ro 16:18; Ἰ Χ., I Co 1:2, I Th 1:3, al.; Ἰ. Χ. (Χ. Ἰ) ὁ κ. (ἡμῶν), Ro 1:4, Col 2:6, Eph 3:11, al.; ὁ κ. καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ, II Pe 3:2; id. seq. Ἰ. Χ., II Pe 3:18; anarth., I Co 7:22, 25, Ja 5:4, al.; κ. κυρίων, Re 19:16; c. prep., ἀπὸ (κατὰ, πρὸς, σὺν, etc.) κ., Col 3:24, al.
SYN. v.s. δεσπότης.

Abbott-Smith References

Liddell-Scott-Jones

meaning of: κύριος

κύριος [ῡ], α, ον,

also ος, ον [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—Thess. κῦρρος [Refs 8th c.BC+]:

__I of persons, having power or authority over, with genitive, Ζεὺς ὁ πάντων κ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πρὶν ἄν σε κ. στήσω τέκνων put thee in possession of.., [Refs 5th c.BC+], of the god to whom a temple is dedicated, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; τῶν αὑτοὺ κ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; θανάτου κ. τινός with power of life and death over, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__I.2 κύριός εἰμι with infinitive, I have authority to do, am entitled to do, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; οὗτος κ. ὁρκωμοτεῖν (probably to be read instead of -ῶν) [Refs 5th c.BC+]; -ώτεροι δοῦναι better able to give, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also κ. τοῦ μὴ μεθυσθῆναι having power not to.., [Refs]: with accusative et infinitive, κ. εἶναι ἢ τοίαν εἶναι [πόλιν] ἢ τοίαν [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__I.3 followed by a dependent clause, κ. γενέσθαι, ὅντινα δεῖ καταστήσασθαι [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__I.4 with participle, πριαμένους τι ἢ πωλοῦντας κυρίους εἶναι [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__I.5 absolutely, having authority, supreme, τί τῶνδε κυριωτέρους μένει; [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὁ πατὴρ μέχρι τούτου κ. [ἐστι] [Refs 4th c.BC+]; τὸ κ. the sovereign power in a state, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὰ κ. the supreme authorities, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; at Athens, κ. ἐκκλησία a sovereign or principal assembly, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II of things, ὁ τῆς ὥρας τῆς καταρχῆς κ. [ἀστήρ] [Refs 2nd c.BC+]: but usually absolutely, authoritative, decisive, δίκαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μῦθος -ώτερος of more authority, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; -ωτάτη τῶν ἐπιστημῶν [ἡ πολιτική] [Refs 4th c.BC+]; -ωτέρα ἡ καθόλου [ἀπόδειξις] [Refs 4th c.BC+]; of sovereign remedies, - ωτάτη τῶν καθάρσεων [Refs 5th c.BC+]; important, principal, κ. δόξαι, of certain doctrines of Epicurus, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; τὰ -ώτατα the principal organs, [Refs 2nd c.AD+] (but, the most important matters, [Refs 4th c.BC+] principal accent, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]
__II.2 opposed to ἄκυρος, valid, νόμος, δόγματα, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κ. ποιεῖν [τὴν γνῶσιν], opposed to ἄκυρον π., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἔστω τὰ κριθέντα κ. Legal cited in [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II.3 of times, etc., ordained, appointed, ἡ κυρίη ἡμέρη [Refs 5th c.BC+], etc.; κ. μήν, of a woman with child, i.e. the ninth month, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὅταν τὸ κ. μόλῃ φάος (probably) the appointed time, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἡ κ. [ἡμέρα] [Refs 4th c.BC+] but αἱ κ. [ἡμεραι], ={κριτικαί}, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II.4 legitimate, lawful, ὕπνος πόνος τε, κ. ξυνωμόται [Refs 4th c.BC+]; κύρι᾽ ἔχοντες having lawful power, [Refs]
__II.5 ἡ κ. ἀρετή goodness proper, real goodness, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; Rhet. and Grammars, κ. ὄνομα the real or actual, hence current, ordinary, name of a thing, opposed to μεταφορά, γλῶττα, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; σπάνει κυρίου ὀνόματος for lack of a current term, [Refs 1st c.BC+]; -ώτατα ὀνόματα most ordinary terms, [Refs]proper, personal name, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; ὄνομα alone in this sense, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; κ. [λέξεις] [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κατὰ τὸν κ. τρόπον, opposed to καταχρωμένη, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__III adverb κυρίως, see entry
__B substantive κύριος, ὁ, lord, master, τοῖσι κ. δωμάτων [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὁ κ. alone, head of a family, master of a house (compare [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also, guardian of a woman, [Refs 4th c.BC+], etc.: generally, guardian, trustee, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__B.b later κύριε, as a form of respectful address, sir, [NT+2nd c.AD+]
__B.2 feminine κυρία, ἡ, mistress, lady of the house, [LXX+4th c.BC+]: in vocative, madam, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; applied to women from fourteen years upwards, [Refs 1st c.AD+]. (In later Gr. frequently written κύρα, [Refs 6th c.AD+]
__B.2.b epithet of Ἶσις, [Refs 1st c.BC+]
__B.3 of gods, especially in the East, Σεκνεβτῦνις ὁ κ. θεός [Refs 1st c.BC+]; Κρόνος κ. [Refs 1st c.AD+]; Ζεὺς κ. [Refs 3rd c.AD+]; κ. Σάραπις [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; of deified rulers, τοῦ κ. βασιλέος θεοῦ [Refs 1st c.BC+]; οἱ κ. θεοὶ μέγιστοι, of Ptolemy XIV and [Refs 1st c.BC+]; of Roman Emperors, [Refs]
__B.4 ὁ Κύριος, = Hebrew [LXX]; of Christ, [NT]

_{LSJ Scripture Refs: John.12.21 ☩ Acts.16.30 ☩ LXX.Isa.24.2 ☩ LXX.Gen.11.5 ☩ 1Cor.12.3}