Quick Definition
a river,torrent
Strong's Definition
a current, brook or freshet (as drinkable), i.e. running water
Derivation: probably from a derivative of the alternate of G4095 (πίνω) (compare G4224 (πότος));
KJV Usage: flood, river, stream, water
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ποταμός, ποταμοῦ, ὁ, from Homer down, the Sept. for πΘδΘψ and ιΐΰΙψ, a stream, a river: Mat_3:6 L T Tr WH; Mar_1:5; Act_16:13; 2Co_11:26 (Winer's Grammar, § 30, 2 a.); Rev_8:10; Rev_9:14; Rev_12:15; Rev_16:4; Rev_16:12; Rev_22:1 f; equivalent to a torrent, Mat_7:25; Mat_7:27; Luk_6:48; Rev_12:15 f; plural figuratively equivalent to the greatest abundance (cf. colloquial English streams, floods), Joh_7:38.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ποταμός potamos 17x
a river, stream, Mar_1:5 ; Act_16:13 ;
met. and allegor. Joh_7:38 ; Rev_22:1-2 ;
a flood, winter torrent, for χείμαρρος ποταμός , Mat_7:25 ; Mat_7:27 river; stream.
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ποταμός , -οῦ , ὁ ,
[in LXX chiefly for H5104 , H2975 ;]
a river, stream, torrent: Mat_3:5 ; Mat_7:25 ; Mat_7:27 , Mar_1:1-45 :, Luk_6:48-49 , Act_16:13 , 2Co_11:26 , Rev_8:10 ; Rev_9:14 ; Rev_12:15-16 ; Rev_16:4 ; Rev_16:12 ; Rev_21:1-2 . Fig., pl ., Papyri ὕδατος ζῶντος , Joh_7:38 .†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ποταμός [page 530]
the river, the Nile, is seen in P Petr II. 13 (19) .10 (B.C. 258 3) περὶ τὴ ]ν ἀνα [χώ ]ρησιν τοῦ ποταμοῦ , at the falling of the river, OGIS 56 .13 (B.C. 238) τοῦ τε ποταμοῦ ποτε ἐνλιπέστερον ἀναβάντος , the river being somewhat backward in rising, while in ib. 672 .8 (A.D. 80) we hear of the clearing of the Ἀγαθὸς Δαίμων ποταμός in length, breadth, and depth. Ποταμός is also applied in the inscrr. to an artificially constructed canal, e.g. ib. 90 .25 (Rosetta stone B.C. 196) ὀχυρώσας τὰ στόματα τῶν ποταμῶν .
For the adj. ποτάμιος , see P Tebt II. 316 .90 (A.D. 99) τ <έ >χνῃ (cf. Act_18:3 ) ἁλιεὺς ποτάμι <ο >ς , P Giss I. 40 ii. 18 (A.D. 215) (= Chrest. I. p. 38 ) ναῦται ποτά [μ ]ι̣οι , for ποταμίτης , a river-labourer, see P Oxy XIV. 1671 .20 (iii/A.D.) with the references collected there, and for ἡ ποταμοφυλακὶς ( sc. ναῦς ), the river-watch-boat, see Wilcken Ostr. i. p. 282 ff.
Liddell-Scott — Intermediate Greek Lexicon
ποταμός ποτα^μός, οῦ, ὁ, [Etym: ΠΟ, Root of some tenses of πίνω] "a river, stream", Hom. , etc.:—proverb., ἄνω ποταμῶν χωροῦσι παγαί, of extraordinary events, Eur. :—of "rivers of fire or lava", Pind. as a person, Ποταμός, "a river-god", Il.
STEPBible — Tyndale Abridged Greek Lexicon
ποταμός, -οῦ, ὁ
[in LXX chiefly for נָהָר, יְאֹר ;]
a river, stream, torrent: Mat.3:5 7:25, 27, Mrk.1:1-45 :, Luk.6:48-49, Act.16:13, 2Co.11:26, Rev.8:10 9:14 12:15-16 16:4, 12 21:1-2. Fig., pl., π. ὕδατος ζῶντος, Jhn.7:38.†
(AS)