previous next
ἀμήχα^νος , Dor. ἀμάχανος , ον,
A.without means or resources, helpless, Od.19.363; “πενία .B.1.61; “πόριμον αὑτῷ τῇ πόλει δ᾽ .Ar.Ra.1429; “. καὶ ἄτεχνοςPl.Plt.274c; of animals, opp. εὐμήχανος, Arist.HA 614b34: hence,
II. more freq. in pass. sense, allowing of no means:
1. impracticable, unmanageable, c. inf., “ἀμήχανός ἐσσι πιθέσθαιIl.13.726.
b. of things, hard, impossible, τοῦτό μ᾽ ἄνωγας ἀμήχανον ἄλλο τελέσσαι ib. 14.262; “τοῦτο δ᾽ . εὑρεῖνPi.O.7.25, cf. Hdt.1.48; ὁδὸς . εἰσελθεῖν road hard or impossible to enter on, X.An.1.2.21; “. ἐστὶ γενέσθαιEmp.12, cf. Hdt. 1.48,204, S.Ant.175, etc.: abs., ἀμήχανα impossibilities, ἀμηχάνων ἐρᾶν ib.90, cf. 92; “δεινὸς . . εὑρεῖν κἀξ . πόρονA.Pr.59, cf. Ar.Eq.759: Sup., Them. in Ph.91.12.
2. against whom or which nothing can be done, irresistible, freq. in Hom. of Zeus, Hera, Achilles; . ἐσσι, . ἔπλευ, Il.10.167, 16.29; “Ἔρος . . . ὄρπετονSapph.40.
b. of things, . ἔργα mischief without help or remedy, Il.8.130; “δόλοςHes.Th. 589; “κήδεαArchil.66; “δύαιA.Eu.561 (lyr.); ἄλγος, νόσοι, S.El.140 (lyr.), Ant.363 (lyr.); “συμφοράSimon.5.11, cf. E.Med.392; κακόν ib.447: Comp. “-ωτέρα, ἀγλαΐαThem.Or.4.51c.
c. esp. of dreams, inexplicable, not to be interpreted, Od.19.560.
3. extraordinary, enormous,ποταμῶν . μεγέθηPl.Phd.111d;“ἡδοναίId.Phlb.46e; ἀμή χανον εὐδαιμονίας an inconceivable amount of happiness, Id.Ap.41c: freq.c.acc., . τὸ μέγεθος, τὸ κάλλος, τὸ πλῆθος, etc., i.e. inconceivable in point of size, etc., Id.R.584b, 615a, X.Cyr.7.5.38: c. dat., “. πλήθει τε καὶ ἀτοπίαPl.Phdr.229d (nisi leg. ἀμηχάνων πλήθη τε καὶ ἀτοπίαι, where . = monsters): abs., infinitely great,δύναμιςPlot.5.3.16.
b. freq. in Pl. with “οἷος, ὅσος, ἀμήχανον ὅσον χρόνονPhd 95c; ἀμηχάνῳ ὅσῳ πλέονι by it is impossible to say how much more, R.588a; “ἀμή χανόν τι οἷονChrm.155d. Adv., “ἀμηχάνως ὡς εὖR.527e; “. γε ὡς σφόδραPhdr.263d.
hide Dictionary Entry Lookup
Use this tool to search for dictionary entries in all lexica.
Search for in
How to enter text in Greek:
hide References (37 total)
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (37):
    • Aeschylus, Eumenides, 561
    • Aeschylus, Libation Bearers, 407
    • Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound, 59
    • Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes, 227
    • Aristophanes, Frogs, 1429
    • Aristophanes, Knights, 759
    • Bacchylides, Epinicians, 1.61
    • Demosthenes, Funeral Speech, 12
    • Euripides, Hippolytus, 643
    • Euripides, Medea, 392
    • Euripides, Medea, 447
    • Euripides, Medea, 408
    • Herodotus, Histories, 1.48
    • Hesiod, Theogony, 589
    • Homer, Iliad, 13.726
    • Homer, Odyssey, 19.363
    • Homer, Odyssey, 19.560
    • Homeric Hymns, Hymn 3 to Apollo, 192
    • Plato, Republic, 584b
    • Plato, Republic, 615a
    • Plato, Phaedo, 111d
    • Plato, Apology, 41c
    • Plato, Statesman, 274c
    • Plato, Philebus, 46e
    • Plato, Phaedrus, 229d
    • Sophocles, Antigone, 175
    • Sophocles, Antigone, 363
    • Sophocles, Antigone, 79
    • Sophocles, Antigone, 90
    • Sophocles, Antigone, 92
    • Sophocles, Electra, 140
    • Xenophon, Anabasis, 1.2.21
    • Xenophon, Cyropaedia, 7.5.38
    • Homer, Iliad, 10.167
    • Homer, Iliad, 14.262
    • Homer, Iliad, 16.29
    • Homer, Iliad, 8.130
hide Display Preferences
Greek Display:
Arabic Display:
View by Default:
Browse Bar: