Quick Definition
ὄρνις, ιθος, ὁ, ἡ n.f. a bird, fowl, hen
Strong's Definition
a bird (as rising in the air), i.e. (specially), a hen (or female domestic fowl)
Derivation: probably from a prolonged form of the base of G3735 (ὄρος);
KJV Usage: hen
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, f. | -ίθος | ὄρνεον
4.38 · Animals · Birds
bird any kind of bird, wild or domestic All languages have at least some terms for birds, but there may be no generic term which identifies birds while excluding all other creatures which fly. For example, in some languages a term which includes all kinds of birds also includes flying insects and bats. However, since in most instances such a term has birds as its primary reference, it can usually be employed in contexts in which birds are more or less readily identified by other expressions in the passage. In other languages generic terms for birds may identify only certain classes of birds, for example, birds of prey, water birds, and birds of the forest.
In this only NT occurrence (with parallel), ὄρνις probably designates a hen.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ὄρνις, -ιθος, 6, ἡ. (OPQ, ὄρνυμι [see ὄρθρος); 1. a bird ; so fr. Hom. down. 2. spec. a cock, a hen: Mt. xxiii. 37; Lk. xiii. 34 [Tdf. ὄρνιξ, q. ν.]; (so Aeschyl. Eum. 866; Xen. an. 4, 5, 25; Theoer., Polyb. 12, 26,1; [al3)-
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ὄρνις ornis 2x
bird, fowl; domestic hen, Mt. 23:37; Lk. 13:34*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ὄρνις, -ιθος, ὁ, ἡ,
[in LXX: ὄ. ἐκλεκταί, III Ki 3:1 4:23 (5:3) (בַּרְבֻּרִים)*;]
a bird; specif., a cock, a hen: Mt 23:3, Lk 13:34 (WH).†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ὄρνις was specialized at an early date to mean “‘ cock” or ‘‘ hen,” just as ἄλογον was restricted to the meaning ‘‘horse” as early as iv/A.D. (Hatzidakis Zim/. p. 34f.): cf. the use of “fowl” in English. The word is naturally common in food accounts, e.g. P Tebt II. 468 (late ii/B.c.) ὄρνιθας B, P Oxy IV. 7388 (c. A.D. 1) ὄρνις σιδυτὴ ἐξ ὕδα(τος) a, “1 bird . . from the water”: note also the provisions prepared in expectation of a visit (παρουσία) from the διοικητής Chrysippus, P Grenf 11. 14(2)8f (B.c. 264 or 227) ἑτοιμάκαμεν . ὄρνιθας πεντήκοντα᾽ [ὅ]δια χῆνες πεντήκοντα, dpνιθες διακόσια[ι], περ[ι]στριδεῖς ἑκατόν : cf. 3 Kingd 455 ὀρνίθων ἐκλεκτῶν among Solomon’s delicacies—the only occurrence of the form ὄρνις in the LXX (Thackeray G*. i. p.152f.). Inai/B.c. memorandum of rent, P Goodsp Cairo 9, Pates acknowledges leasing an island for the sixteenth year for forty-five artabae of wheat and ten birds—® ὄρνιθας τ. A φόρος ὀρνίθων, ‘a tax on fowls,” is coupled with a Φόρος προβάτων, ‘a tax on sheep,” in P Strass I. 67 (A.D. 228). From the inserr. we may cite a Lycian inscr., JHS xxxiv. (1914) p. 5, No. 108 βούλομαι καθ᾽ ἔτος θύεσθαι [ἡμ]εῖν ἀλέκτορα καὶ ὄρνειθα τελέα[ν] Kal καλήν. For ὀρν(ε)ιθών, ‘‘ fowl-house,” see P Oxy IX. 12ογ' (A.D. 175-62). The same document refers to ‘‘8 laying hens in e opobecia perfect condition ” (Ed. )—® ὀρνείθων τελείων τοκάδων ὀκτώ: cf. P Oxy XII. 1568 (a.p. 265) order to a poultry-dealer (ὀρνιθᾶς) to supply two hens and twenty eggs for a birthday festival—els γενέσια Πανάρους τοκάδες. δύο... wa εἴκοσι. MGr ὄρνιθα, ὀρνίθι, “hen.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ὄρνις (ornis) — hen. ὄρνις, ὁ, also ἡ [Refs 8th c.BC+]; genitive ὄρνῑθο; accusative singular ὄρνῑθα and ὄρνιν, neither in [Refs 8th c.BC+]:—also ὄρνιξ, [NT+3rd c.BC+], called Ionic dialect and Doric dialect by [Refs 7th c.BC+]; accusative ὄρνῑχα [Refs 7th c.BC+]; dative ὄρνιξι, ὀρνίχεσσι, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: on the gender and declension, see [Refs 2nd c.AD+] Gothic ara, genitive arins 'eagle', etc.) [In the trisyllable cases ῑ always: [Refs 8th c.BC+]; and later Epic dialect use both ὄρνῑς and ὄρνῐς: in Trag. both quantities are found, ὄρνῐς in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; are borrowed from Sophocles; ὄρνῑς is said to be Attic dialect, [Refs]
I. bird, including birds of prey and domestic fowls, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; applied to ostriches, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: frequently added to the specific names, ὄρνισιν ἐοικότες αἰγυπιοῖσιν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὄ. ἀηδών, πέρδιξ, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὄ. ἁλκυών, ὄ. κύκνος, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II. like{οἰωνός}, bird of omen, from the flight or cries of which the augur divined, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; δεξιός, ἀριστερὸς ὄρνις, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
II.2. metaphorically, omen taken from the flight or cries of birds, [Refs 8th c.BC+]: generally, omen, presage, without direct reference to birds,[Refs 5th c.BC+]; see at {ὅδιος}.
III. in Attic dialect ὄρνις, ὁ, is mostly, cock, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὄρνις, ἡ, hen, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἀλέκτορα καὶ ὄρνιθα τελέαν cock and hen, [Refs]; in full, ὄ. ἐνοίκιος [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πότερον ὄ. ἢ ταὧ; [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὁ ὄρνιξ ὁ σιτευτός fatted fowl, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; also, goose, [Refs]
IV. in plural sometimes, bird-market, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
V. Μοισᾶν ὄρνιχες song-birds, i.e. poets, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
VI. Provs.: διώκει παῖς ποτανὸν ὄρνιν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὀρνίθων γάλα 'pigeon's milk', i.e. any marvellous dainty or good fortune, [Refs 5th c.BC+]white of egg, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also a plant, see at {ὀρνιθόγαλον}.
VII. a constellation, later Cygnus, [Refs 4th c.BC+]