ἀμήχανος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From ἀ- (a-) +‎ μηχανή (mēkhanḗ) +‎ -νος (-nos)

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /a.mɛ̌ː.kʰa.nos/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /aˈme̝.kʰa.nos/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /aˈmi.xa.nos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /aˈmi.xa.nos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /aˈmi.xa.nos/

Mark the vowel length of the ambiguous vowels ἀ and α by adding a macron after each one if it is long, or a breve if it is short. By default, Module:grc-pronunciation assumes it is short if unmarked.
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Adjective

ἀμήχανος • (amḗkhanos) m or f (neuter ἀμήχανον); second declension

impracticable, impossible, challenging, difficult, unmanageable, uncontrollable
- 446 BCE – 386 BCE, Aristophanes, Frogs 1429:
  μισῶ πολίτην, ὅστις ὠφελεῖν πάτραν βραδὺς πέφυκε μεγάλα δὲ βλάπτειν ταχύς, καὶ πόριμον αὑτῷ τῇ πόλει δ᾽ ἀμήχανον.
  misô polítēn, hóstis ōpheleîn pátran bradùs péphuke megála dè bláptein takhús, kaì pórimon hautôi têi pólei d’ amḗkhanon.
incapable, without means, resourceless, helpless, awkward
- 442 BCE, Sophocles, Antigone 79:
  ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἄτιμα ποιοῦμαι, τὸ δὲ βίᾳ πολιτῶν δρᾶν ἔφυν ἀμήχανος.
  egṑ mèn ouk átima poioûmai, tò dè bíāi politôn drân éphun amḗkhanos.
extraordinary, inconceivable, enormous, infinite
- 380 BCE, Plato, The Republic 584b:
  αὗται γὰρ οὐ προλυπηθέντι ἐξαίφνης ἀμήχανοι τὸ μέγεθος γίγνονται, παυσάμεναί τε λύπην οὐδεμίαν καταλείπουσιν.
  haûtai gàr ou prolupēthénti exaíphnēs amḗkhanoi tò mégethos gígnontai, pausámenaí te lúpēn oudemían kataleípousin.
(particularly of dreams) inexplicable, mysterious, unexplainable
- 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 19.560:
  δοιαὶ γάρ τε πύλαι ἀμενηνῶν εἰσὶν ὀνείρων· αἱ μὲν γὰρ κεράεσσι τετεύχαται, αἱ δ᾿ ἐλέφαντι· τῶν οἳ μέν κ᾿ ἔλθωσι διὰ πριστοῦ ἐλέφαντος
  doiaì gár te púlai amenēnôn eisìn oneírōn; hai mèn gàr keráessi teteúkhatai, hai d’ eléphanti; tôn hoì mén k’ élthōsi dià pristoû eléphantos
difficult to deal with, against whom nothing can be done
- 484 BCE – 425 BCE, Herodotus, The Histories 586-589:
  θαῦμα δ᾽ ἔχ᾽ ἀθανάτους τε θεοὺς θνητούς τ᾽ ἀνθρώπους, ὡς εἶδον δόλον αἰπύν, ἀμήχανον ἀνθρώποισιν.
  thaûma d’ ékh’ athanátous te theoùs thnētoús t’ anthrṓpous, hōs eîdon dólon aipún, amḗkhanon anthrṓpoisin.
1. (of situations) helpless, unfixable, unreconcilable, irremediable
  - 458 BCE, Aeschylus, The Eumenides 561-562:
    τὸν οὔποτ᾽ αὐχοῦντ᾽ ἰδὼν ἀμαχάνοις δύαις λαπαδνὸν οὐδ᾽ ὑπερθέοντ᾽ ἄκραν
    tòn oúpot’ aukhoûnt’ idṑn amakhánois dúais lapadnòn oud’ huperthéont’ ákran
2. irresistible
  - 630 BCE – 570 BCE, Sappho, Fragments 130:
    Ἔρος δηὖτέ μ᾿ ὀ λυσιμέλης δόνει, γλυκύπικρον ἀμάχανον ὄρπετον
    Éros dēûté m’ o lusimélēs dónei, glukúpikron amákhanon órpeton

Declension

Second declension of ἀμήχανος; ἀμήχανον (Attic)

Number	Singular		Dual		Plural
Case/Gender	Masculine / Feminine	Neuter	Masculine / Feminine	Neuter	Masculine / Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ἀμήχανος amḗkhanos	ἀμήχανον amḗkhanon	ἀμηχάνω amēkhánō	ἀμηχάνω amēkhánō	ἀμήχανοι amḗkhanoi	ἀμήχανᾰ amḗkhană
Genitive	ἀμηχάνου amēkhánou	ἀμηχάνου amēkhánou	ἀμηχάνοιν amēkhánoin	ἀμηχάνοιν amēkhánoin	ἀμηχάνων amēkhánōn	ἀμηχάνων amēkhánōn
Dative	ἀμηχάνῳ amēkhánōi	ἀμηχάνῳ amēkhánōi	ἀμηχάνοιν amēkhánoin	ἀμηχάνοιν amēkhánoin	ἀμηχάνοις amēkhánois	ἀμηχάνοις amēkhánois
Accusative	ἀμήχανον amḗkhanon	ἀμήχανον amḗkhanon	ἀμηχάνω amēkhánō	ἀμηχάνω amēkhánō	ἀμηχάνους amēkhánous	ἀμήχανᾰ amḗkhană
Vocative	ἀμήχανε amḗkhane	ἀμήχανον amḗkhanon	ἀμηχάνω amēkhánō	ἀμηχάνω amēkhánō	ἀμήχανοι amḗkhanoi	ἀμήχανᾰ amḗkhană
Derived forms	Adverb		Comparative		Superlative
Derived forms	ἀμηχάνως amēkhánōs		ἀμηχανότερος amēkhanóteros		ἀμηχανότᾰτος amēkhanótătos
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Alternative forms

ἀμάχανος (amákhanos) — Doric

Related terms

ἀμηχανοποιέομαι (amēkhanopoiéomai)
κᾰκομήχᾰνος (kăkomḗkhănos)
μηχᾰνάομαι (mēkhănáomai)
μηχᾰνεύς (mēkhăneús)
μηχᾰ́νημᾰ (mēkhắnēmă)
μηχᾰ́νησῐς (mēkhắnēsĭs)
μηχᾰνῐκός (mēkhănĭkós)
μηχᾰ́νωμᾰ (mēkhắnōmă)
ποικῐλομήχᾰνος (poikĭlomḗkhănos)

References

“ἀμήχανος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
ἀμήχανος in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2025)
ἀμήχανος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
“ἀμήχανος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
Pape, Wilhelm, Benseler, Gustav Eduard (1884) Wörterbuch der griechischen Eigennamen (in German), 3rd edition, Braunschweig: Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn