Quick Definition
ὄνος, ου, ὁ, ἡ n.f. & n.m. a donkey, an ass
Strong's Definition
apparently a primary word; a donkey
KJV Usage: an ass
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, m./f. | -ου | ὀνάριον · ὀνικός
4.31 · Animals · Animals
donkey, ass domestic animal belonging to the same family as the horse, but smaller and with longer ears; it can have variety of colors from dark brown, through light brown to gray and occasionally white; Equus Asinus africanus; used to ride on, carry loads, or do other work In the context of JHN 12:15 the reference is obviously to a female donkey.
In languages in which there is no word for ‘donkey,’ it is usually best to borrow a term from a dominant language rather than attempting some type of descriptive equivalent. For example, in one language a descriptive designation, namely, ‘a long-eared animal,’ was understood by the people as referring to a rabbit. In some languages donkey is referred to as ‘a kind of small horse’ or ‘a small horse-like animal.’
Though in Greek the article and/or other attributives to the noun ὄνος indicate by their forms whether ὄνος is to be understood as masculine or feminine, in a number of languages quite different terms are employed for a male or female donkey.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ὄνος, -ov, ὁ, ἡ, [fr. Hom. down], Sept. for rn and yA, an ass: Lk. xiv. 5 Rec.; Mt. xxi. 5; Jn. xii. 15; — 6, Lk. xiii. 15; ἡ, Mt. xxi. 2, 7.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ὄνος onos 5x
donkey, ass, male or female, Mt. 21:2, 5, 7
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ὄνος, -ου, ὁ, ἡ,
[in LXX chiefly for חֲמוֹר, also for אָתוֹן, etc.;]
an ass: Mt 21:2, 5(LXX), Lk 14:5, Jo 12:15(LXX); ὁ, Lk 13:15; ἡ, Mt 21:7.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ὄνος. The following may serve as exx. of this common word, probably borrowed, like Lat. asus, from some Asiatic language (Boisacq, p. 705)—P Petr III. 140(a)? (iii/B.c.) ἀπίοστεϊ]λόν μοι τὴν ὄνον, P Grenf 11. 14(b)®* (B.c. 225) (= Chrest. I. p. 489) συνκεχρήμε[θ]α δὲ ὄνους βαδιστὰς (see s.v. βαδίζω) πέντε. . . ἑτοιμάκαμεν δὲ Kal τοὺς τεσσαράκοντα ὄνους [τοὺς σἸκ[ε]υοφόρους, P Ryl II. 142°° (A.D. 37) ἤροσαν διὰ ὄνων εἰς λόγο(ν) δεσχί --μ)ῶιν) ἑξακοσίων, ““1Πγ carried off by means of donkeys a matter of six hundred bundles’’ (Edd.), 2, 14516 (A.D. 38) ἀφήρπασεν παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ ὄνον θήλειαν, ‘She robbed him of a female donkey” (Edd.), P Lond II. 3316 (Α.Ὁ. 165) (Ξ-Ξ 11. p. 154, Chrest. I. p. 575) δώσ[ο]μεν ἔτι καταβαίνοντι ὄνους τέσσαρας καὶ ἀναβαίνοντι τοὺς ἴσους, “ we shall give him for the down journey four asses, and for the up journey the same number,”’ P Oxy VI. 9328 (late ii/A.D.) ἐὰν δύνῃ avaβῆναι ἵνα ἐπιγνοῖς (cf. Lk 14N*) τὸν ὄνον, “if you can go up to find out the ass, do so”’ (Edd.), and 24. I. 1128 (ili/iv A.D.) ϑήλωσόν μοι ἢ πλοίῳ ἐξέρχ[ει] ἢ ὄνῳ, “let me know whether you are coming by boat or by donkey,” a good ex. of the instrumental dat. In P Fay 67% (A.D. 80) (πυροῦ) ὄνους τρεῖς, ὄνους = ““ donkey-loads”’: cf. BGU II. 36:2}: (A.D. 215) ὄνων Ὑ ὑπὸ δένδρα, ‘three asses laden with trees’’—a rare instance of Coptic syntactical influence found in the papyri (cf. s.v. ὀστέον, and see Thackeray G7. i. p- 20). In Herodas vi. 83 ὁ ὄνος = ‘‘the grindstone”: cf. μύλος ὀνικός (Mt 18°, Mk 9%). On the δίπλωμα ὄνων, see Ostr. i. p. 360f. For ὀνηλάτης cf. P Fay 119° (¢c. A.D. 100), and for ὀνηλάσιον cf. P Ryl II. 183(a)? (A.D. 16). See also 5.U. βαδίζω.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ὄνος (onos) — donkey. ὄνος, ὁ and ἡ, ass, once in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὄνοι οἱ τὰ κέρεα ἔχοντες, together with a number of fabulous animals, [Refs 5th c.BC+] —frequently in proverbs:
1. ὄ. λύρας (i.e. ἀκούων), of one who can make nothing of music, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ὄ. κάθηται, of one who sits down when caught in the game of ὀστρακίνδα, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; the two proverbs combined by [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. περὶ ὄνου σκιᾶς for an ass's shadow, i.e. for a trifle, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
3. ὄνου πόκαι or πόκες, see at {πόκος} [Refs]; ὄνον κείρεις, of those who attempt the impossible, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
4. ἀπ᾽ ὄνου καταπεσεῖν, of one who gets into a scrape by his own clumsiness. with a pun on ἀπὸ νοῦ πεσεῖν, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
5. ὄνος ὕεται an ass in the rain, of being unmoved by what is said or done, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
6. ὄ. ἄγω μυστήρια, i.e my part is to carry burdens, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
7. ὄνων ὑβριστότερος, of wanton behaviour, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
8. ὦτ᾽ ὄνου λαβεῖν, like Midas, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
9. ὄ. εἰς ἄχυρα, of one who gets what he wants, [Refs 4th c.AD+]
10. ὄ. ἐν μελίσσαις, of one who has got into a scrape, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; but ὄ. ἐν πιθήκοις, of extreme ugliness, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ὄ. ἐν μύρῳ 'a clown at a feast', [Refs]
11. εἰς ὄνους ἀφ᾽ ἵππων, of one who has come down in the world, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
II. a fish of the cod family, especially the hake, Merluccius vulgaris, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III. wood-louse, κυλισθεὶς ὥς τις ὄ. ἰσόσπριος [Refs 5th c.BC+], [Refs 5th c.AD+]
IV. wingless locust, ={τρωξαλλίς}, [Refs 1st c.AD+]
V. ὄνων φάτνη a nebulous appearance between the ὄνοι (two stars in the breast of the Crab), [Refs 4th c.BC+]
VI. ὄνου πετάλειον, ={φύλλον ὀνίτιδος}, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]
VII. from the ass as a beast of burden the name passed to:
VII.1. windlass, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
VII.2. the upper millstone which turned round, ὄ. ἀλέτης [Refs 5th c.BC+]see entry {μύλη}; perhaps simply, millstone, [Refs 3rd c.BC+] says that Aristotle also calls the fixed nether millstone ὄνος (but [Refs 4th c.BC+] when the millstone is grinding stone, as it does when no grist is in the mill).
VII.3. beaker, winecup, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
VII.4. spindle or distaff, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
VII.5. perhaps coping of a wall, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
VIII. ass's load, as a measure, πυροῦ ὄ. τρεῖς [Refs 1st c.AD+]