Quick Definition
μάρτυς, υρος, ὁ n.m. a witness
Strong's Definition
of uncertain affinity; a witness (literally (judicially) or figuratively (genitive case)); by analogy, a "martyr"
KJV Usage: martyr, record, witness
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, m. | μάρτυρος · dat.pl. μάρτυσιν | μαρτυρέω
33.270 · Communication · Witness, Testify
witness, one who testifies (derivative of μαρτυρέω[a] ‘to witness,’ 33.262) a person who witnesses
MAT 18:16 · MAT 26:65 · MRK 14:63 · LUK 11:48 · LUK 24:48 · ACT 1:8 · ACT 1:22 · ACT 2:32 · ACT 3:15 · ACT 5:32 · ACT 6:13 · ACT 7:58 · ACT 10:39 · ACT 10:41 · ACT 13:31 · ACT 22:15 · ACT 26:16 · ROM 1:9 · 2CO 1:23 · 2CO 13:1 · PHP 1:8 · 1TH 2:5 · 1TH 2:10 · 1TI 5:19 · 1TI 6:12 · 2TI 2:2 · HEB 10:28 · HEB 12:1 · 1PE 5:1 · REV 1:5 · REV 2:13 · REV 3:14 · REV 11:3
20.67 · Violence, Harm, Destroy, Kill · Kill
martyr a person who has been deprived of life as the result of bearing witness to his beliefs A strictly literal translation of the Greek expression in REV 17:6 (ἐκ τοῦ αἵματος τῶν μαρτύρων Ἰησοῦ ‘of the blood of the martyrs of Jesus’) is likely to result in considerable misunderstanding, for it could mean that these were individuals who had been martyred by Jesus rather than those who had been deprived of their lives because of their relationship to Jesus. It would be possible to render τῶν μαρτύρων Ἰησοῦ as ‘those who had been killed because they belonged to Jesus,’ but one should avoid any expression which would suggest slave ownership.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
μάρτυς (Acolic μάρτυρ, a form not found in the N. T.; [etymologically one who is mindful, heeds; prob. allied with Lat. memor, ef. Vanitek p. 1201; Curtius § 466]), τυρος, acc. -upa, 6; plur. μάρτυρες, dat. plur. μάρτυσι; Sept. for 137; [Hes., Simon., Theogn., al.]; @ witness (one who avers, or can aver, what he himself has seen or heard or knows by any other means) ; a. ina legal sense: Mt. xviii. 16; xxvi. 65; Mk. xiv. 63; Acts vi. 13; vii. 58; 2 Co. xiii. 1; 1 Tim. v. 19; Heb. x. 28. b. in an historical sense: Acts x. 41; 1 Tim. vi. 12; [2 Tim. ii. 2]; one who is a spectator of anything, 6. g. of a contest, Heb. xii. 1; w. a gen. of the obj., Lk. xxiv. 48; Acts i. 22; ii. 325 ili. 15; v.32 G@LT Tr WH; x. 39; εἰς μαρτ. τῶν λαληθησομένων, who testifies for one’, Actsi.8 LT Tr WH; xiii. 31; w a gen. of the possessor and of the obj., Acts v. 32 Ree. ; μάρτυρα εἶναί τινι, to be a witness for one, serve him by testimony, Acts i. 8 RG; xxii. 15; [Lk. xi. 48 T Tr WII]. He is said to be a witness, to whose attestation appeal is made; hence the formulas μάρτυς μού ἐστιν ὁ θεός, Ro. i. 9; Phil. i. 8; θεὸς μαρτύς, 1 Th. ii. 5; μάρτυρα τὸν θεὸν ἐπικαλοῦμαι, 2 Co. i. 23; ὑμεῖς μάρτυρες k. 6 Beds, 1 Th. ii. 10; the faithful interpreters of God’s counsels are called God’s witnesses: Rev. xi. 3; Christ is reckoned among them, Rev. i. 5; iii. 14. c. in an ethical sense those are called μάρτυρες ᾿Ιησοῦ, who after his example have proved the strength and genuineness of their faith in Christ by undergoing a violent death [cf B. Ὁ. Am. ed. and Dict. of Chris. Antiq. s. ν. Martyr]: Acts xxii. 20; Rev. ii. 13; xvii. 6.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
μάρτυς martys 35x
(1) a judicial witness, deponent, Mt. 18:16; Heb. 10:28; (2) generally, a witness to a circumstance, Lk. 24:48; Acts 10:41; in NT a witness, a testifier, of a doctrine, Rev. 1:5; 3:14; 11:3; (3) a martyr, Acts 22:20; Rev. 2:13
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
μάρτυς
(Æolic μάρτυρ), -υρος, ὁ (also ἡ), [in LXX for עֵד;]
a witness: Ac 10:41, I Ti 6:12, II Ti 2:2, He 12:1 (Westc., in l.); in forensic sense, Mt 18:16 26:65, Mk 14:63, Ac 6:13 7:58, II Co 13:1, I Ti 5:19, He 10:28; c. gen. obj., Lk 24:48, Ac 1:22 2:32 3:15 5:32 10:39 26:16, I Pe 5:1; c. gen. poss., Ac 1:8 13:31, Re 11:3; c. dat. pers., Lk 11:48, Ac 22:15; of Christ, Re 1:5 3:14; of God, Ro 1:9, II Co 1:23, Phl 1:8, I Th 2:5, 10; of those who have witnessed for Christ by their death (in later Xn. lit., martyr: Swete, Ap., 35), Ac 22:20, Re 2:13 17:6.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
μάρτυς. The plur. μάρτυρες is naturally very common, introducing the names of ‘‘ witnesses” to any contract or legal document, e.g. P Eleph 115 (B.c. 311-0) (= Se/ectrons, p. 4), P Hib I. 8919 (B.c. 239), P Magd 12° (B.c. 217) with the editor’s note, P Grenf I. 27ii.7 (B.c. 109), P Ryl 11. 15345 (A.D. 138-61). Other exx. of the word are P Lille I. 29'-31 (iii/B.c.) ἐναντίον μὴ ἔλασσον ἢ δύο μαρτύρων (cf. Mt 181°), P Par 4610 (8.6. 153) (= Witkowski,? p. 86) σὲ αὐτὸν μάρτυρα ἐπισπάσῳ, P Ryl 11. 160(a)® (A.D. 14-37) ἔπιτε[τάχα]μεν Tots μάρτυσι γράφειν, “we have instructed the witnesses to sign,’’ P Oxy X. 1298!° (iv/a.D.) σὲ yap μόνον ἔχω μάρτυρα, and the Christian 26. VIII. 11621 (iv/a.p,) *Epp(avovt))A papt(vs?), ““ Emmanuel is my witness.” For God as witness, see P Gen I. 545 (iv/A.D.) μάρτυρός ἐστιν ὁ [θ]εὸς ὅτι οὐ διὰ AF[p] Ha μάχομε, ἀλλὰ μάχομε διὰ σέ. Inthe important calendar of church services at Oxy-
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
μάρτυς (martus) — witness. μάρτῠς, ὁ, ἡ, Cretan dialect, Epid. μαῖτυς [Refs], Cretan dialect also μαίτυρς [Refs] see ii; genitive μάρτῠρος, accusative -ῠρα [Refs 8th c.BC+], formed from μάρτυρ (which see), except accusative μάρτῠν [Refs 4th c.BC+]; dative plural μάρτῠσι (but μάρτυρσι probably in [Refs 6th c.BC+]:—witness (not in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μάρτυρας παρέχεσθαι produce witnesses, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μάρτυρα παράγεσθαι, μάρτυρας ἐπάγεσθαι, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τί δεῖται μάρτυρο; [Refs]
II. martyr, [NT]
III. Astrology texts, in aspect, μάρτυρες ἀλλήλων [Refs 4th c.AD+]