Quick Definition
ἀρχιποίμην, ενος, ὁ n.m. the chief shepherd
Strong's Definition
from 746 and 4166; a head shepherd
KJV Usage: chief shepherd
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, m. | -ενος | ἄρχω + ποιμαίνω
44.5 · Animal Husbandry, Fishing
chief shepherd, head shepherd the head shepherd who directs the activities of other shepherds (in its only NT occurrence; a figurative reference to Christ)
1 1PE 5:4 The occurrence of ἀρχιποίμην ‘chief shepherd’ in 1PE 5:4 is an excellent example of figurative usage. There is no indication that by the time 1 Peter was written ἀρχιποίμην had acquired the conventional meaning of a title designating Christ as one who had principal responsibility for believers. The meaning of ἀρχιποίμην, therefore, is simply ‘chief shepherd,’ but the reference is to Christ in a function which does not involve the literal care of sheep.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἀρχι-ποίμην, -evos [so L T Tr WH KC (after Mss.), but Grsb. al. -μήν, -μένος ; ef. Lob. Paralip. p 195 sq.; Steph. Thesaur. s. v.; Chandler § 580], 6, a bibl. word [Test. xii. Patr. test. Jud. § 8], chief shepherd: of Christ the head of the church, 1 Pet. v. 4; see ποιμήν, b.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἀρχιποίμην archipoimēn 1x
chief shepherd, 1 Pet. 5:4*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
**† ἀρχι-ποίμην, -ενος, ὁ,
[in Sm.: IV Ki 3:4*;]
found on an Egyptian mummy label (Deiss., LAE, 97 ff.; cf. MM, s.v.); used by modem Greeks of tribal chiefs; chief shepherd. of Christ, I Pe 5:4.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἀρχιποίμην. Deissmann (ZAZ, p. 97 ff.) has shown that this NT ἅπ. eip. (1 Pet 5%) can no longer be regarded as a Christian invention: it is found on the mummy label of an Egyptian peasant (Pretsigke 3507), of the Roman period, which runs: TIAqvis νεώτερος ἀρχιποίμενος (/. -μην) ἐβίωσεν ἐτῶν . .. “‘Plenis, the younger, chief shepherd. Lived . .. years.’ Cf. P Lips 1. 97*!* (a.D. 338) where a list of ποιμένες is headed by Képnrt ἀρχιποιμένι.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ἀρχιποίμην (archipoimēn) — chief shepherd. ἀρχι-ποίμην, ενος, ὁ, chief shepherd, [NT+2nd c.AD+]