Liddell-Scott-Jones

πρέσβυς (presbus) an ambassador ^G:N-M

πρέσβυς,

[Refs 5th c.BC+], εως or εος (see. below [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—old man (poetry for prose πρεσβύτης), in this sense only used in nominative, accusative, and vocative, ὁ π. Πόλυβος [Refs 5th c.BC+]the elder, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; compare πρέσβα, πρέσβειρα, πρεσβηΐς, πρέσβις: plural πρέσβεις, elders, three times in Trag., always vocative (see.[Refs 5th c.BC+]; for πρεσβῆ, πρεσβῆες, πρισγεῖες, see at {πρεσβεύς}: comparative and superlative are the only forms found in [Refs 8th c.BC+], comparative πρεσβύτερος, α, ον (late πρεσβυτερωτέρα [Refs 1st c.AD+], elder, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; πλεῖν ἢ 'νιαυτῷ by more than a year, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πρεσβυτέρα ἀριθμοῦ older than the fit number, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; βουλαὶ πρεσβύτεραι thy counsels wise beyond thy years, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; of animals, [Refs]rather old, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; also δένδρα π. [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἐπὶ τὸ π. ἰέναι become older, [Refs 5th c.BC+]in my old age, PCair. Zen. [Refs 3rd c.BC+]: superlative πρεσβύτατος, η, ον, eldest, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; as a term of respect, ἐγὼ παλαιότατός εἰμι σὺ δὲ π. [Refs 1st c.AD+]; of animals, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

__2 comparative and superlative, of things, more or most important, taking precedence, especially πρεσβύτερόν τι (or οὐδὲν) ἔχειν deem higher, more important, τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ πρεσβύτερα ἐποιεῦντο ἢ τὰ τῶν ἀνδρῶν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; merely of magnitude, πρεσβύτερον κακοῦ κακόν one evil greater thananother, [Refs 5th c.BC+]. adverb, -τέρωσγυμναστικὴν μουσικῆς τετιμηκέναι [Refs 4th c.AD+]
__II ={πρεσβευτής}, ambassador, in nominative singular only conjecture in [Refs 4th c.BC+] and in Prov. cited in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; genitive πρέσβεως [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πρέσβεος [Refs 5th c.BC+]; genitive πρέσβεων, dative πρέσβεσι, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__III at Sparta a political title, president, τῶν ἐφόρων [Refs]
__III.2 comparative πρεσβύτερος, elder, alderman, τῆς κώμης [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; ἐκρίθημεν ἐπί τε Νουμηνίου καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν π. [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; τοῖς ἱερεῦσι καὶ (both) τοῖς π. καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις πᾶσι [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; π. τῶν γεωργῶν [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; π. γέρδιοι [Refs 1st c.AD+]: elder of the Jewish Sanhedrin, [NT]; later, elder of the Christian Church, presbyter, [NT+4th c.AD+], etc.; of the Apostles, [NT]
__IV wren, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; compare σπέργυς. (-βυ-, Cretan dialect -γυ- (in πρεῖγυς), cognate with Sanskrit -gu in vanar-gú- 'one who lives or moves in the forest', Lithuanian žmogùs 'man' (literal 'one who moves on the ground'); πρεσ- cognate with Latin prae, pris-tinus; the oldest sense of π. is 'going in front, taking precedence'.)

_{LSJ Scripture Refs: Matt.16.21 ☩ Acts.11.30 ☩ 1Tim.5.19 ☩ 2John.1.1 ☩ 3John.1.1}