Quick Definition
πτέρνα, ης, ἡ n.f. the heel
Strong's Definition
of uncertain derivation; the heel (figuratively)
KJV Usage: heel
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, f. | -ης
8.52 · Body, Body Parts, and Body Products · Parts of the Body
heel the back part of the human foot below the ankle πτέρνα occurs in the NT only in JHN 13:18 (ὁ τρώγων μου τὸν ἄρτον ἐπῆρεν ἐπ ̓ ἐμὲ τὴν πτέρναν αὐτοῦ ‘the one eating my bread has raised his heel against me’) in an idiomatic expression denoting antagonism and opposition (see 39.3).
39.3 · Hostility, Strife · Opposition, Hostility
Collocation: ἐπαίρω τὴν πτέρναν
to turn against, to oppose (an idiom, literally: to lift one’s heel against) to oppose someone by turning against such a person, possibly with focus upon the initial aspect of becoming opposed to In a number of languages a convenient way of rendering ‘to turn against’ may be ‘to become an enemy of.’
πτέρνα occurs in the NT only in JHN 13:18 in an idiomatic expression denoting antagonism and opposition.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
πτέρνα, -ης, 7, the heel (of the foot) : ἐπαίρειν τὴν πτέρναν ἐπί twa, fo lift up the heel against one, i.e. dropping the fir. (which is borrowed either from kicking, or from a wrestler tripping up his antagonist), to injure one by trickery, Jn. xiii. 18 after Ps. xl. (xli.) 10. (Often in Grk. writ. fr. Hom. down; Sept. for 1p.)
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
πτέρνα pterna 1x
the heel, Jn. 13:18*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
πτέρνα, -ης, ἡ,
[in LXX for עָקֵב;]
the heel: fig., ἐπαίρειν τὴν π. ἐπί, Jo 13:18(LXX).†
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
πτέρνα (pterna) — heel. πτέρνη [Refs 5th c.BC+], later πτέρνᾰ [LXX+3rd c.BC+], ἡ, heel, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; under part of the heel, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; heel-bone, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
2. hoof, [LXX]
3. heel of a shoe, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
4. footstep, [LXX]
II. metaphorically, foot or lower part of anything, πύργων [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; of a mast, [Refs 2nd c.BC+] (but, waist of a ship, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]
II.2. butt-end of the ἀγκών of a torsion-engine, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; of a surgical machine, [Refs 4th c.AD+]
III. ham (mock Epicism formed from Latin perna), [Refs]; falsa lectio for{πέρνα} in [Refs 6th c.AD+]