μέλας: Difference between revisions

|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. [[with dark skin]] (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 [[with dark bands]] (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. [[piece of tunny]], 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 [[ink and pen]] (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. [[black pigment]] (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> [[become]], [[make dark]], [[black]] (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. [[blackening]], [[black spot]] (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 [[menstruating woman]]; 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]] [[blue spot]], [[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>.