A New Testament Wordbook, by William Barclay, says of the adjective pra·ysʹ: “In classical Greek this is a lovely word. Of things it means ‘gentle’. It is used, for instance, of a gentle breeze or a gentle voice. Of persons it means ‘mild’ or ‘gracious’. . . . There is gentleness in praus but behind the gentleness there is the strength of steel . . . It is not a spineless gentleness, a sentimental fondness, a passive quietism.”

The word pra·ysʹ is variously translated in Bible versions “meek,” “mild,” “mild-tempered,” and “gentle.” (KJ, AS, NW, NE) However, as expressed in Barclay’s work quoted in the foregoing, pra·ysʹ goes somewhat deeper than gentleness and, when used of persons, means mild, gracious.