μέλας: Difference between revisions

|Definition=(<span class="sense"><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="bld">A</span> μέλᾰς <span class="bibl">Rhian.58</span>, where <b class="b3">μέγας</b> is corrupt for <b class="b3">μέλας</b>) <b class="b3">, μέλαινα, μέλᾰν</b>; gen. <b class="b3">μέλᾰνος, μελαίνης, μέλᾰνος</b>, etc.; Ep. dat. <b class="b3">μείλανι</b> (metri gr.) <span class="bibl">Il.24.79</span>: Aeol. nom. μέλαις, from <b class="b3">*μέλανς</b>, <span class="bibl">Choerob. <span class="title">in Theod.</span> 1.123</span>, Greg.Cor.<span class="bibl">p.599</span> S., hence restored in Sapph.57:—[[black]], [[dark]]: in Hom. generally, [[dark]] in colour, οἶνος <span class="bibl">Od.5.265</span>; <b class="b3">μέλαν αἷμα, κῦμα</b>, <span class="bibl">Il.4.149</span>, <span class="bibl">23.693</span>; γαῖα μέλαινα <span class="bibl">2.699</span>, cf. <span class="bibl">Sapph.<span class="title">Supp.</span>5.2</span>; ὕδωρ μέλαν Αἰσήποιο <span class="bibl">Il.2.825</span>, cf. <span class="bibl">Od.4.359</span>, <b class="b3">νηῦς μ</b>., from its being <b class="b2">pitched over</b>, <span class="bibl">Il.1.300</span>, al.; of men, [[dark]], [[swarthy]], μέλανας δὲ ἀνδρικοὺς ἰδεῖν <span class="bibl">Pl.<span class="title">R.</span>474e</span>; ἰσχυρός τις ἦν, μ. <span class="bibl">D.21.71</span>; <b class="b3">τὰ μ</b>. <b class="b2">black marks</b> about the ears of dogs, <span class="bibl">X.<span class="title">Cyn.</span>5.23</span>. </span><span class="sense">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="bld">II</span> [[dark]], [[murky]], ἕσπερος <span class="bibl">Od.1.423</span>; εὐφρόνα <span class="bibl">Pi.<span class="title">N.</span>7.3</span>. </span><span class="sense">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="bld">III</span> metaph., [[black]], [[dark]], θάνατος <span class="bibl">Il.2.834</span>, etc.; <b class="b3">κήρ</b> ib.<span class="bibl">859</span>, etc.; ὀδύναι <span class="bibl">4.117</span>, etc. (the origin of the metaphor is seen in the phrases <b class="b3">θανάτου μ. νέφος, ἄχεος νεφέλη μ</b>., <span class="bibl">16</span>. <span class="bibl">350</span>, <span class="bibl">18.22</span>); <b class="b3">μ. τύχα, ἀρά</b>, <span class="bibl">A.<span class="title">Supp.</span>89</span> (lyr.), <span class="bibl"><span class="title">Th.</span>832</span> (lyr.); <b class="b3">Ἐρινύς</b> ib.<span class="bibl">993</span> (lyr.), cf. <span class="bibl"><span class="title">Eu.</span>52</span>; ἄτα <span class="bibl">Id.<span class="title">Ag.</span>769</span> (lyr.); <b class="b3">Ἄρης</b> ib.<span class="bibl">1511</span> (lyr.); Ἅιδης <span class="bibl">S.<span class="title">OT</span>29</span>; Ἅιδου μ. ἀνάγκα <span class="bibl">E.<span class="title">Hipp.</span>1388</span> (lyr.), etc.; <b class="b3">ἡμέραι μέλαιναι</b>, = Lat. <b class="b2">dies atri</b>, <span class="bibl">Plu.<span class="title">Luc.</span>27</span>. </span><span class="sense">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="bld">2</span> of the voice, [[indistinct]], <span class="bibl">Arist.<span class="title">Top.</span>106a25</span>, <span class="bibl">Philostr.<span class="title">VA</span>4.44</span>; <b class="b3">βραχὺ καὶ μ. φώνημα</b>, of Nero, <span class="bibl">D.C.61.20</span>. </span><span class="sense">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="bld">3</span> [[dark]], [[obscure]], [[enigmatical]], ἱστορίη <span class="title">AP</span>11.347 (Phil.). </span><span class="sense">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="bld">4</span> of character, [[dark]], [[malignant]], <b class="b3">μ. φρήν, καρδία</b>, <span class="bibl">Sol.42.4</span>, <span class="bibl">Pi.<span class="title">Fr.</span>123.4</span>; μ. ἄνθρωποι Plu.2.12d; <b class="b3">μ. ἦθος</b> M. Ant.4.28. </span><span class="sense">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="bld">IV</span> Comp. <b class="b3">μελάντερος, α, ον</b>, <b class="b2">blacker, very black</b>, τοῦ δ' οὔ τι μελάντερον ἔπλετο ἔσθος <span class="bibl">Il.24.94</span>: prov. of thick darkness, [<b class="b3">νέφος] μελάντερον ἠΰτε πίσσα</b> (v. <b class="b3">ἠΰτε</b>) <span class="bibl">4.277</span>: Sup. μελάντατος <span class="bibl">Hp. <span class="title">VC</span>14</span>, <span class="bibl">Ar.<span class="title">Fr.</span>580</span>, etc.:—Comp. also μελανώτερος <span class="bibl">Str.16.4.12</span>: Sup. μελαινότατος <span class="title">AP</span>11.68 (Lucill.), <span class="title">Epigr.Gr.</span>320.4 (Thyatira). </span><span class="sense">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="bld">V</span> μέλαινα (sc. <b class="b3">νοῦσος</b>), ἡ, Medic., of diseases causing black secretions (such as [[melaena]]), <span class="bibl">Hp.<span class="title">Morb.</span>2.73</span>. </span><span class="sense">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="bld">VI</span> <b class="b3">μέλαν, τό</b>, v. sub voc. (Cf. Skt. [[málam]] 'dirt', [[malinás]] 'dirty', Lett. [[melns]] 'black'.)</span>

|etymtx=Grammatical information: adj.<br />Meaning: <b class="b2">dark-coloured, black</b> (Il.); <b class="b3">μελάν-τερος</b> (Il.), <b class="b3">-τατος</b> (IA.), late <b class="b3">μελανώτερος</b> Str.), <b class="b3">μελαινοτάτη</b> (Epigr. Gr., AP; Leumann Mus. Helv. 2,9f. = Kl.Schr. 223f.).<br />Other forms: (Aeol. <b class="b3">-αις</b>), <b class="b3">-αινα</b>, <b class="b3">-αν</b>.<br />Compounds: Very often as 1. member, e.g. <b class="b3">μελάγ-χροος</b> (pl. <b class="b3">-ες</b>), <b class="b3">-χροιής</b>, <b class="b3">-χρής</b>, <b class="b3">-χρως- μελανό-χροος</b> etc. <b class="b2">with dark skin</b> (see Sommer Nominalkomp. 21ff.; also Treu Von Homer zur Lyrik 52 a. 80); <b class="b3">μελαγ-χιμος</b> [[dark]], [[black]] (A., E., X.), with faded 2. member, cp. <b class="b3">δύσ-χιμος</b> and Sommer 71ff.; [[μελάνδετος]] prob. <b class="b2">dark-striped</b> or <b class="b2">with dark bands</b> (O713, A., E.; Trümpy Fachausdrücke 62, Risch 189); <b class="b3">μελάν-δρυ-ος</b> <b class="b2">of black wood (δόρυ)</b> (A. Fr. 251), n. <b class="b2">heart-wood, marrow</b> (Thphr., Strömberg Theophrastea 128), pl. <b class="b2">piece of tunny</b>, with which <b class="b3">μελάν-δρυς</b> m. [[tunny]] (Pamphil.; Strömberg Fischnamen 128); <b class="b3">μελάμ-πυρον</b> n. (<b class="b3">-ος</b> m.) <b class="b2">ball-mustard, Neslia paniculata</b> (Thphr., Gal.); with the form. cf. <b class="b3">διόσπυρον</b> (s.v.), on the meaning Carnoy REGr. 71, 96; <b class="b3">μελαγ-κάλαμον</b> n. dvandva <b class="b2">ink and pen</b> (pap. Vp, Maas Glotta 35, 299f.). Often in PN, with as shortnames e.g. <b class="b3">Μελαινεύς</b>, <b class="b3">Μελανεύς</b>, <b class="b3">Μελανθεύς</b>, <b class="b3">Μέλανθος</b> (Boßhardt 95, 101, 154, Schwyzer 263).<br />Derivatives: 1. <b class="b3">μελαιν-άς</b> f. name of a dark-coloured fish (Cratin. [?]; Strömberg Fischnamen 22); <b class="b3">-ίς</b> f. name of a sea-shell (Sophr., Herod., Xenokr.), also name of Aphrodite in Corinth (Ath.). 2. <b class="b3">μελάν-ιον</b> n. [[ink]] (pap., Edict. Diocl.; from <b class="b3">μέλαν</b>, Georgacas Glotta 36, 169). 3. <b class="b3">μελαν-ία</b> f. <b class="b2">blackness, black shadow, black colour</b> (X., Arist.), <b class="b3">-ότης</b> f. [[blackness]] (Arist.: <b class="b3">λευκότης</b>). 4. <b class="b3">μελανός</b> = <b class="b3">μέλας</b> (Sp.), <b class="b3">-όν</b> n. <b class="b2">black pigment</b> (Sammelb. IVp); after <b class="b3">κελαινός</b>, <b class="b3">ὀρφνός</b> etc.; <b class="b3">μελαιναῖος</b> <b class="b2">id.</b> (Orac. Sib.; after <b class="b3">κνεφαῖος</b> a.o.; Chantraine Form. 47); <b class="b3">μελανώδης</b> [[blackish]] (EM). -- Denominative verbs: 1. <b class="b3">μελαίνομαι</b>, <b class="b3">-ω</b> <b class="b2">become, make dark, black</b> (Il.); from this <b class="b3">μέλανσις</b> f. [[blackening]] (Arist.), <b class="b3">μέλασ-μα</b> n. <b class="b2">black spot, black paint</b> (Hp.), <b class="b3">-μός</b> m. <b class="b2">blackening, black spot</b> (Hp., Plu.), <b class="b3">μελαντηρ-ία</b> f. [[black pigment]], [[blackness]] (IG 22, 1672, Arist.), <b class="b3">-ιον</b> [[stain]] (sch.). 2. <b class="b3">μελάνω</b> <b class="b2">become (make?) black</b> (H 64; Schwyzer 700, Shipp Studies 37). 3. <b class="b3">μελανέω</b> intr. <b class="b2">id.</b> (Thphr., A. R., Call.)<br />Origin: IE [Indo-European]X [probably] [720] <b class="b2">*mel(h₂)-</b> [[black]]<br />Etymology: To <b class="b3">μέλας</b> < <b class="b3">*μέλαν-ς</b>, <b class="b3">μέλαινα</b> (< <b class="b3">-αν-</b> ι̯<b class="b3">α</b>), <b class="b3">μέλαν</b> is <b class="b3">τάλας</b>, <b class="b3">τάλαινα</b>, <b class="b3">τάλαν</b> a parallel, where it must be noted that <b class="b3">τάλας</b> seems to be an orig. <b class="b3">ντ-</b>stem. --The identification of <b class="b3">μέλαινα</b> with Skt. f. [[malinī]] (supp. IE <b class="b2">*melh₂n-i̯ǝ</b>), to which a consonantic m. <b class="b3">μελαν-</b> was innovated for an older <b class="b3">*μέλανος</b> = Skt. <b class="b2">malina-</b>'dirty' (Schwyzer IF 30, 446ff. after Brugmann Grundr. 2: 1, 256 n. 1), fails because [[malinī]] is known only as a gloss and in the sense of <b class="b2">menstruating woman</b>; masc. <b class="b2">malina-</b> is further an ep.-class. deriv. from Ved. <b class="b2">mála-</b> n. [[dirt]]; s. Sommer Nominalkomp. 25, Wackernagel-Debrunner II: 2, 351 f. Of the many words cited under the words <b class="b2">mel-</b> indicating colour in WP. 2, 293 f., Pok. 720 f. only a few Baltic formations with <b class="b2">n-</b>suffix are interesting, Latv. <b class="b2">męl̃ns</b> [[black]] (see Fraenkel Gnomon 22, 237), OPr. [[melne]] <b class="b2">blue spot</b>, [[mīlinan]] acc. f. [[spot]] (further Fraenkel Wb. s. <b class="b2">mė́las</b> 2). -- Further s. <b class="b3">μολύνω</b>, also <b class="b3">μελίνη</b> and <b class="b3">μώλωψ</b>.