This noun denotes the quality of gentleness or mildness, standing in direct opposition to harshness, anger, or savagery in classical Greek literature. Philosophers like Aristotle discussed it as a virtue balanced against quick temper. The word evolved in Hellenistic Greek and appears in both the Septuagint and New Testament as πραΰτης, where it took on deeper ethical meaning. Biblical authors used it to describe a spirit of humble submission to God and patient forbearance toward others—not weakness, but strength under control.