Quick Definition
μέλος, ους, τό n.n. a limb, member
Strong's Definition
of uncertain affinity; a limb or part of the body
KJV Usage: member
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, n. | -ους
8.9 · Body, Body Parts, and Body Products · Parts of the Body
body part, member a part of the body In some languages an equivalent of μέλος is simply ‘division,’ and in a few languages an even more generic expression such as ‘things’ is used, so that ‘the parts of the body’ may be rendered by an expression meaning literally ‘things of the body.’
In different languages the various parts of the body are classified in a number of diverse ways. In some languages the sensory organs of seeing, hearing, smelling, and tasting (those related to the head) are often set off from other types of organs, while in other languages special terms may be employed for those organs involving movement, for example, the joints, arms, legs, etc. Other languages make extensive subclassifications of body parts on the basis of whether they are external or internal, though such classifications often appear to be arbitrary, since teeth and tongue may be regarded as either external or internal.
MAT 5:29 · MAT 5:30 · ROM 6:13 · ROM 6:13 · ROM 6:19 · ROM 6:19 · ROM 7:5 · ROM 7:23 · ROM 7:23 · ROM 12:4 · ROM 12:4 · 1CO 12:12 · 1CO 12:12 · 1CO 12:14 · 1CO 12:18 · 1CO 12:19 · 1CO 12:20 · 1CO 12:22 · COL 3:5 · JAS 3:5 · JAS 3:6 · JAS 4:1
1 One may also classify the meaning of μελος in Domain 63 Whole, Unite, Part, Divide and consider its reference to body parts as only an instance of an even more generic meaning, namely, part (63.17). On the other hand, its frequent association wit the body in absolute contexts may justify its classification here as a generic for body parts.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
μέλος, -ous, τό, [fr. Hom. down], a member, limb: prop. a member of the human body, Ro. xii. 4; 1 Co. xii. 12, 14, 18-20, 25 sq.; Jas. iii. 5; τὰ μ. τοῦ σώματος, 1 Co. xii. 12, 22; μοῦ, σοῦ, ἡμῶν, ὑμῶν, Mt. v. 29 sq.; Ro. vi. 13, 19; vii. 5, 23; Col. 111. 5; Jas. iii. 6; iv. 1; πόρνης μέλη is said of bodies given up to criminal intercourse, because they are as it were members belonging to the harlot’s body, 1 Co. vi. 15. Since Christians are closely united by the bond of one and the same spirit both among themselves and with Christ as the head, their fellowship is likened to the body, and individual Christians are metaph. styled pé€Ay—now one of another, ἀλλήλων: Ro. xii. 5; Eph. iv. 25; Clem. Rom. 1 Cor. 46, 7, (ef. Fritzsche, Com. on Rom. iii. p. 45), — now of the mystical body, i.e. the church: 1 Co. xii. 27; Eph. v. 30, [cf. iv. 16 WH mrg.}]; τὰ σώματα of Christians are called μέλη of Christ, because the body is the abode of the spirit of Christ and is consecrated to Christ’s service, 1 Co. vi. 15.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
μέλος melos 34x
a member, limb, any part of the body, Mt. 5:29, 30; Rom. 12:4; 1 Cor. 6:15; 12:12
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
μέλος, -ους, τό,
[in LXX chiefly for נֵתַח;]
a member, limb of the body: I Co 12:14, 19, 26, Eph 4:16 (WH, mg.), Ja 3:5; pl. (as always in cl.), τὰ μ.: Mt 5:29, 30, Ro 6:13, 19 7:5, 23 12:4, I Co 12:12 ff. Col 3:5, Ja 3:6 4:1. Metaph., πόρνης, I Co 6:15; of Christians, μ. ἀλλήλων, Ro 12:5, Eph 4:25; Χριστοῦ, I Co 6:15; σώματος Χριστοῦ, I Co 12:27, Eph 5:30.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
μέλος τυχεῖν (see Rouffiac Recherches, p. 27). For the NT usage see Moulton Gy. ii. p. 188. His τὸ μέλλον in the sense of **next year’’ is seen in P Lond 12314 (a.p. 144) (=III. p- 108) τὴν els τὸ μ[έϊλλον yewpyelav—a good parallel to the meaning in Lk 13° as against AV ‘‘then after that,” RV “‘thenceforth” : cf. Field WVo/es, p. 65. In Mt 24° μελλήσετε δὲ ἀκούειν πολέμους the meaning may be ‘‘ you must ¢hez be prepared to hear of wars,” but this use of the fut. tense is out of the question in 2 Pet 11? μελλήσω ἀεὶ ὑμᾶς ὑπομιμνήσκειν, as Mayor ad 1. points out, and accordingly he prefers with Field (JVofes, p. 240) to read μελήσω instead of μελλήσω with the meaning, ‘‘I shall take | care to remind you. future.’’ For compounds, like μελλοπρόεδρος, ‘‘a future president,” cf. P Giss I. p. 87 f.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
μέλος (melos) — member. μέλος, εος, τό, limb, in early writers always in plural, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; μελέων ἔντοσθε within my bodily frame, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; κατὰ μέλη (-εα) limb by limb, like{μελεϊστί}, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μέλη ποιεῖν dismember, [LXX]: later in singular, [Refs 1st c.BC+]
2. metaphorically, ἐσμὲν.. ἀλλήλων μέλη [NT]
3. features, form, οὐκέτ᾽ ἐγὼ.. γονέων μ. ὄψομαι [Refs] __B especially musical member, phrase: hence, song, strain, first in [Refs], of the nightingale (the [Refs 8th c.BC+]; especially of lyric poetry, τὸ Ἀρχιλόχου μ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν μέλεϊ ποιέειν to write in lyric strain, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μέλη, τά, lyric poetry, choral songs, opposed to Epic or Dramatic verse, [Refs 5th c.BC+] __B.b lyric portion of the Comic παράβασις, [Refs 7th c.AD+] __B.2 music to which a song is set, tune, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; opposed to ῥυθμός, μέτρον, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; opposed to ῥυθμός, ῥῆμα, [Refs]; Κρητικόν, Καρικόν, Ἰωνικὸν μ., [Refs 5th c.BC+] properly, correctly, ἐν μ. φθέγγεσθαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; παρὰ μέλος incorrectly, inopportunely, πὰρ μ. ἔρχομαι [Refs 5th c.BC+] __B.3 melody of an instrument, φόρμιγξ δ᾽ αὖ φθέγγοιθ᾽ ἱερὸν μ. ἠδὲ καὶ αὐλός [Refs 6th c.BC+]: generally, tone, μ. βοῆς [Refs 5th c.BC+] is corrupt in epigram cited in [Refs 2nd c.AD+]