Study
Word study

Word study

Greek

Less/worse

ἥσσωνStrong’s G2276

hētton, hēssōn

Appears in 2 verses of the New Testament

In short

Hētton, hēssōn is the Greek word usually translated “worse” and “less”. It appears in 2 verses of the New Testament.

“Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.”
1 Corinthians 11:17 KJV
Meaning

Usually translated “worse” and “less”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.

How it's translated
  • worse 1
  • less 1

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most
  • 1 Corinthians 1
  • 2 Corinthians 1

2 books in all.

Explore in Scripture
Greek dictionary

ἥσσων hētton, hēssōn · less/worse

ἥσσων (Rec. ἥττ-, the Attic literary form), ἧσσων, inferior, less; neut., τὸ ἧ., adverbially, less: 2Co.12:15; εἰς τὸ ἧ., for the worse (opposite to κρεῖττον): 1Co.11:17.† (AS)

From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “worse” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

WORSE, adjective

[This adjective has the signification of the comparative degree, and as bad has no comparative and superlative, worse and worst are used in lieu of them, although radically they have no relation to bad.]

  1. More evil; more bad or ill; more depraved and corrupt; in a moral sense.“Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse” 2 Timothy 3:13
  2. In a physical sense, in regard to health, more sick.“She was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse” Mark 5:26
  3. More bad; less perfect or good.
  4. The loss; the disadvantage.“Judah was put to the worse before Israel” 2 Kings 14:12
All definitions and other forms of “worse”
  1. Something less good.

WORSE, adverb

In a manner more evil or bad.

  1. “We will deal worse with thee than with them” Genesis 19:9

Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.

Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.