ἀμήχανος: Difference between revisions

|Definition=Dor. [[ἀμάχανος]], ον,<br><span class="bld">A</span> [[without means]] or [[without resources]], [[helpless]], Od.19.363; [[πενία]] ἀμήχανος B.1.61; πόριμον αὑτῷ τῇ πόλει δ' ἀ. Ar.''Ra.''1429; ἀμήχανος καὶ [[ἄτεχνος]] [[Plato|Pl.]]''[[Politicus|Plt.]]'' 274c; of animals, opp. [[εὐμήχανος]], [[Aristotle|Arist.]]''[[Historia Animalium|HA]]'' 614b34: hence,<br><span class="bld">2</span> [[incapable]], [[awkward]], [[ἀφραδής|ἀφραδέες]] καὶ ἀ. ''h.Ap.'' 192, cf. Theoc.1.85; τὸν ἀ. ὀρθοῦν A.''Th.''227; ἀ. γυνή E.''Hipp.''643; <b class="b3">ἀμήχανος εἴς τι</b> [[awkward]] at thing, Id.''Med.''408. Adv., [[ἀμηχάνως ἔχειν]] = [[ἀμηχανεῖν]], A.''Ch.''407, E., etc.<br><span class="bld">3</span> c. inf., [[at a loss how to]] [[do]], [[unable to]] [[do]], τὸ δὲ βίᾳ πολιτῶν δρᾶν ἔφυν ἀ. S.''Ant.''79; <b class="b3">ἀμηχανώτατος ὅ τι χρὴ λέγειν πορίσασθαι</b> [D.]60.12, etc.<br><span class="bld">II</span> more freq. in pass. sense, [[allowing of no means]]:<br><span class="bld">1</span> [[impracticable]], [[unmanageable]], c. inf., ἀμήχανός ἐσσι [[πιθέσθαι]] Il.13.726.<br><span class="bld">b</span> of things, [[hard]], [[impossible]], <b class="b3">τοῦτό μ' ἄνωγας ἀμήχανον ἄλλο τελέσσαι</b> ib. 14.262; τοῦτο δ' ἀ. εὑρεῖν Pi.''O.''7.25, cf. [[Herodotus|Hdt.]]1.48; ὁδὸς ἀ. [[εἰσελθεῖν]] = [[road]] [[hard]] or [[impossible]] to [[enter]] on, X.''An.''1.2.21; ἀ. ἐστὶ γενέσθαι Emp.12, cf. [[Herodotus|Hdt.]] 1.48,204, S.''Ant.''175, etc.: abs., [[ἀμήχανα]] [[impossibilities]], <b class="b3">ἀμηχάνων ἐρᾶν</b> ib.90, cf. 92; δεινὸς.. [[εὑρεῖν]] κἀξ ἀ. [[πόρος|πόρον]] A.''Pr.''59, cf. [[Aristophanes|Ar.]]''[[The Knights|Eq.]]''759: Sup., Them. ''in Ph.''91.12.<br><span class="bld">2</span> [[against whom nothing can be done]] or [[against which nothing can be done]], [[irresistible]], freq. in Hom. of [[Zeus]], Hera, Achilles; <b class="b3">ἀ. ἐσσι, ἀ. ἔπλευ</b>, Il.10.167, 16.29; Ἔρος.. ἀ. ὄρπετον Sapph.40.<br><span class="bld">b</span> of things, <b class="b3">ἀ. ἔργα</b> [[mischief]] [[without help]] or [[without remedy]], Il.8.130; [[δόλος]] Hes.''Th.'' 589; κήδεα Archil.66; δύαι A.''Eu.''561 (lyr.); [[ἄλγος]], [[νόσος|νόσοι]], S.''El.''140 (lyr.), ''Ant.''363 (lyr.); [[συμφορά]] Simon.5.11, cf. E.''Med.''392; [[κακόν]] ib.447: Comp. ἀμηχανωτέρα, ἀγλαΐα Them.''Or.''4.51c.<br><span class="bld">c</span> especially of [[dream]]s, [[inexplicable]], [[not to be interpreted]], Od.19.560.<br><span class="bld">3</span> [[extraordinary]], [[enormous]], ποταμῶν ἀ. μεγέθη [[Plato|Pl.]]''[[Phaedo|Phd.]]'' 111d;ἡδοναί Id.''Phlb.''46e; <b class="b3">ἀμήχανον εὐδαιμονίας</b> an [[inconceivable]] [[amount]] of [[happiness]], Id.''Ap.''41c: freq.c.acc., ἀμήχανον τὸ [[μέγεθος]], τὸ [[κάλλος]], τὸ [[πλῆθος]], etc., i.e. [[inconceivable]] in [[point]] of [[size]], etc., Id.''R.''584b, 615a, [[Xenophon|X.]]''[[Cyropaedia|Cyr.]]''7.5.38: c. dat., ἀ. πλήθει τε καὶ ἀτοπία [[Plato|Pl.]]''[[Phaedrus|Phdr.]]''229d ([[nisi legendum|nisi leg.]] <b class="b3">ἀμηχάνων πλήθη τε καὶ ἀτοπίαι</b>, where ἀ. = [[monster]]s): abs., [[infinitely great]], [[δύναμις]] Plot.5.3.16.<br><span class="bld">b</span> freq. in Pl. with [[οἷος]], [[ὅσος]], ἀμήχανον ὅσον χρόνον ''Phd'' 95c; [[ἀμηχάνῳ ὅσῳ πλέονι]] = [[by it is impossible to say how much more]], ''R.''588a; ἀμήχανόν τι οἷον ''Chrm.''155d. Adv., [[ἀμηχάνως ὡς εὖ]] = [[extraordinarily]] [[well]] ''R.''527e; ἀμηχάνως γε ὡς σφόδρα ''Phdr.''263d.