Quick Definition
κτάομαι v. I win, get, buy, possess
Strong's Definition
a primary verb; to get, i.e. acquire (by any means; own)
KJV Usage: obtain, possess, provide, purchase
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | κτῆμα · κτῆνος · κτήτωρ
57.58 · Possess, Transfer, Exchange · Take, Obtain, Gain, Lose
to get, to acquire, to gain to acquire possession of something
MAT 10:9 · LUK 18:12 · ACT 1:18 · ACT 8:20 · ACT 22:28 · 1TH 4:4
21.20 · Danger, Risk, Safe, Save · Cause To Be Safe, Free from Danger
Collocation: κτάομαι τὴν ψυχήν
to save oneself, to protect oneself (an idiom, literally: to acquire one’s soul, or: to acquire one’s life) to save oneself from grave danger or death
23.63 · Physiological Processes and States · Sexual Relations
Collocation: σκεῦος κτάομαι
sexual life (an idiom, literally: to possess a vessel) a euphemistic manner of referring to sexual relations It is also possible to understand σκεῦος in 1TH 4:4 as one’s wife (see 10.55). σκεῦος in 1TH 4:4 may also be understood as one’s body, and therefore the phrase τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος κτᾶσθαι may be rendered as ‘to control his own body’ (see 8.6).
1 In several contexts κτάομαι refers to the acquiring of some possession or benefit by means of payment of money, as in ACT 8:20 (τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐνόμισας διὰ χρημάτων κτᾶσθαι you thought you could acquire God’s gift with money), but κτάομαι in itself does not mean to buy but simply to acquire, and if the reference is to buying, then the context must indicate the use of money as a means of acquisition.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
κτάομαι, -ῶμαι ; fut. κτήσομαι (Lk. xxi. 19 L Tr WH); 1 aor. ἐκτησάμην ; [fr. Hom. down]; Sept. for 73); to acquire, get or procure a thing for one’s self [ef. W. 260 (244)]; (pf. κέκτημαι, to possess [ef. W. 274 (257) note] ; not found in the N.T.): ri, Mt.x. 9; Acts viii. 20; ὅσα xr@pat, all my income, Lk. xviii. 12; with gen. of price added [W. 206 (194)], πολλοῦ, Acts xxii. 28; with ἐκ and gen. of price (see ἐκ, II. 4), Acts i. 18; τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος ἐν ἁγιασμῷ x. τιμῇ; to procure for himself his own vessel (i. e. for the satisfaction or the sexual passion; see σκεῦος, 1) in sanctification and honor, i. e. to marry a wife (opp. to the use of a harlot; the words ἐν dy. x. τιμῇ are added to express completely the idea of marrying in contrast with the baseness of procuring a harlot as his ‘vessel’; cf. κτᾶσθαι γυναῖκα, of marrying a wife, Ruth iv. 10; Sir. xxxvi. 29 (xxxili. 26); Xen. symp. 2, 10),1 Th.iv.4; ras ψυχὰς ὑμῶν, the true life of your souls, your true lives, i. e. eternal life (ef. the opp. ζημιοῦσθαι τὴν Ψ. αὐτοῦ under ζημιόω), Lk. xxi. 19; cf. Meyer ad toc. and W. p. 274 (257).
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
κτάομαι ktaomai 7x
to get, procure, provide, Mt. 10:9; to make gain, gain, Lk. 18:12; to purchase, Acts 8:20; 22:28; to be the cause or occasion of purchasing, Acts 1:18; to preserve, save, Lk. 21:19; to get under control, to be winning the mastery over, 1 Thess. 4:4; perf. κέκτημαι, to possess*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
κτάομαι, -ῶμαι,
[in LXX chiefly for קנה;]
in pres., impf., fut. and aor., to procure for oneself, get, gain, acquire (the pf. and plpf., to have acquired, hence to possess, do not occur in NT): c. acc. rei, Mt 10:9, Lk 18:12, Ac 8:20; c. gen. pret., Ac 22:28; ἐκ c. gen. pret., Ac 1:18; τ. ψυχὰς ὑμῶν (MM, xvi), Lk 21:19; τ. ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος κτᾶσθαι, I Th 4:4 (where if σ. = body, κ. must = pf., κέκτημαι; v. MM, xvi; M, Th., in l.; Field, Notes, 72 f. But σ. is most freq. taken as = wife; v. Thayer, s.v.; Lft., Notes, 53 ff.; ICC, in l.).†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
κτάομαι. Occurrences of pres. and aor. may help some difficult NT passages—P Petr II. 8(3)? (B.c. 246) ἐὰν] δέ τινες [κ 2]rql σωντίαι, ‘but if any shall acquire them,’’ P Tebt IT. 2811 (B.C. 125) παρὰ τῶν κτωμένων οἰκίας ἢ τόπους, ‘from acquirers of houses or spaces,” 20. I. 54 (B.c. 118) μηδἄλλους κτᾶσθαι μηδὲ χρῆσθαι τοῖς τε λινυφαντικοῖς Ka’ βυσσουργικοῖς ἐργαλείοις, ‘nor shall any other persons take possession of or use the tools required for cloth-weaving or
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
κτάομαι (ktaomai) — to posses. κτάομαι, Ionic dialect κτέομαι, only as variant in [Refs 5th c.BC+]: future κτήσομαι [Refs 7th c.BC+]aorist ἐκτησάμην, Epic dialect κτ-, [Refs 8th c.BC+]: perfect κέκτημαι [Refs 8th c.BC+] in following lines, [Refs]; Ionic dialect 3rd.pers. plural ἐκτέαται [Refs 5th c.BC+]; subjunctive κέκτωμαι [Refs 5th c.BC+] codices: pluperfect ἐκεκτήμην [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Ionic dialect 3rd.pers. plural ἔκτηντο [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Attic dialect 1st pers. plural ἐκτήμεθα falsa lectio in [Refs 5th c.BC+]: for future and aorist passive, see below[Refs]
I. present, imperfect, future, and aorist,
I.1. procure for oneself, get, acquire, κτήμασι τέρπεσθαι τὰ γέρων ἐκτήσατο Πηλεύς [Refs 8th c.BC+]; [οἰκῆας] Od.[same place]; γῆν [Refs 4th c.BC+]; of horses, win (as a prize), [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κτήσασθαι βίον ἀπό τινος to get one's living from a thing, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; win favour, and the like, χάριν ἀπό τινος, ἔκ τινος, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κ. φίλους, ἑταίρους, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
I.1. b of consequences, bring upon oneself, αὑτῷ θάνατον [Refs 5th c.BC+]; incur, θεᾶς ὀργήν[Refs 5th c.BC+]; δυσσέβειαν κ. get a name for impiety, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
I.1. c κ. τινὰς πολεμίους make them so, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
I.2. procure or get for another, ἐμοὶ δ᾽ ἐκτήσατο κεῖνος [Refs 8th c.BC+]
II. in perfect and pluperfect with future κεκτήσομαι, to have acquired, i.e. possess, hold (opposed to χρῆσθαι, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; φωνὴν βάρβαρον κεκτ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ποίησιν to be master of it, [Refs 5th c.BC+]aorist, ἀγορὰς κτησάμενοι having market-places, [Refs 5th c.BC+] involving effort, [Refs 4th c.BC+]:—the differentbetween present and perfect appears from [Refs 5th c.BC+]: later, present in perfect sense, [NT]
II. b of evils, ἄγος κεκτήσεται θεῶν [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II. c have in store, opposed to ἔχω, have in hand, ready for use, ἔχων τε καὶ κεκτημένος.. κακά [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κ. ἱμάτιον own, opposed to ἔχειν (wear), [Refs]
II. d absolutely, to be a property-owner, τῶν ἐκτημένων ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ [Refs 2nd c.BC+]
II.2. ὁ κεκτημένος owner, master (especially of slaves), as substantive, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of a husband, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἡ κεκτημένη my mistress, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III. aorist 1 passive ἐκτήθην in passive sense, to be gotten, ἃ ἐκτήθη [Refs 5th c.BC+]; to be obtained as property, δουλόσυνος πρὸς οἶκον κτηθεῖσα [Refs 5th c.BC+]: future κτηθήσομαι [Refs](active κτάω[Refs 6th c.AD+]