μελανώτερος

μελανός

black pigment: masc nom comp sg

μέλᾱς (

A

μέλᾰς Rhian.58

, where μέγας is corrupt for μέλας) , μέλαινα, μέλᾰν; gen. μέλᾰνος, μελαίνης, μέλᾰνος, etc.; [dialect] Ep. dat. μείλανι (metri gr.) Il.24.79: [dialect] Aeol. nom. [full] μέλαις, from Μέλανς, Choerob. in Theod. 1.123, Greg.Cor.p.599 S., hence restored in Sapph.57:—black, dark: in Hom. generally, dark in colour,

οἶνος Od.5.265

; μέλαν αἷμα, κῦμα, Il.4.149, 23.693;

γαῖα μέλαινα 2.699

, cf. Sapph.Supp.5.2;

ὕδωρ μέλαν Αἰσήποιο Il.2.825

, cf. Od.4.359, νηῦς μ., from its being pitched over, Il.1.300, al.; of men, dark, swarthy,

μέλανας δὲ ἀνδρικοὺς ἰδεῖν Pl.R. 474e

;

ἰσχυρός τις ἦν, μ. D.21.71

; τὰ μ. black marks about the ears of dogs, X.Cyn.5.23.

II dark, murky,

ἕσπερος Od.1.423

;

εὐφρόνα Pi.N.7.3

.

III metaph., black, dark,

θάνατος Il.2.834

, etc.; κήρ ib. 859, etc.;

ὀδύναι 4.117

, etc. (the origin of the metaphor is seen in the phrases θανάτου μ. νέφος, ἄχεος νεφέλη μ., 16. 350, 18.22); μ. τύχα, ἀρά, A.Supp.89 (lyr.), Th. 832 (lyr.); Ἐρινύς ib. 993 (lyr.), cf. Eu.52;

ἄτα Id.Ag. 769

(lyr.); Ἄρης ib. 1511 (lyr.);

Ἅιδης S.OT29

;

Ἅιδου μ. ἀνάγκα E.Hipp. 1388

(lyr.), etc.; ἡμέραι μέλαιναι, = Lat. dies atri, Plu.Luc.27.

2 of the voice, indistinct, Arist.Top. 106a25, Philostr.VA4.44; βραχὺ καὶ μ. φώνημα, of Nero, D.C.61.20.

3 dark, obscure, enigmatical,

ἱστορίη AP11.347

(Phil.).

4 of character, dark, malignant, μ. φρήν, καρδία, Sol.42.4, Pi.Fr.123.4;

μ. ἄνθρωποι Plu.2.12d

; μ. ἦθος M. Ant.4.28.

IV [comp] Comp. μελάντερος, α, ον, blacker, very black,

τοῦ δ' οὔ τι μελάντερον ἔπλετο ἔσθος Il.24.94

: prov. of thick darkness, [νέφος] μελάντερον ἠΰτε πίσσα (v. ἠΰτε) 4.277: [comp] Sup.

μελάντατος Hp. VC14

, Ar.Fr. 580, etc.:—[comp] Comp. also

μελανώτερος Str.16.4.12

: [comp] Sup.

μελαινότατος AP11.68

(Lucill.), Epigr.Gr.320.4 ([place name] Thyatira).

V [full] μέλαινα (sc. νοῦσος), ἡ, Medic., of diseases causing black secretions (such as melaena), Hp.Morb.2.73.

VI μέλαν, τό, v. sub voc. (Cf. Skt. málam 'dirt', malinás 'dirty', Lett. melns 'black'.)

Grammatical information: adj.

Meaning: `dark-coloured, black' (Il.); μελάν-τερος (Il.), - τατος (IA.), late μελανώτερος Str.), μελαινοτάτη ( Epigr. Gr., AP; Leumann Mus. Helv. 2,9f. = Kl.Schr. 223f.).

Other forms: (Aeol. - αις), - αινα, - αν.

Compounds: Very often as 1. member, e.g. μελάγ-χροος (pl. - ες), - χροιής, - χρής, - χρως- μελανό-χροος etc. `with dark skin' (see Sommer Nominalkomp. 21ff.; also Treu Von Homer zur Lyrik 52 a. 80); μελαγ-χιμος `dark, black' (A., E., X.), with faded 2. member, cp. δύσ-χιμος and Sommer 71ff.; μελάν-δετος prob. `dark-striped' or `with dark bands' (O713, A., E.; Trümpy Fachausdrücke 62, Risch 189); μελάν-δρυ-ος `of black wood (δόρυ)' (A. Fr. 251), n. `heart-wood, marrow' (Thphr., Strömberg Theophrastea 128), pl. `piece of tunny', with which μελάν-δρυς m. `tunny' (Pamphil.; Strömberg Fischnamen 128); μελάμ-πυρον n. (- ος m.) `ball-mustard, Neslia paniculata' (Thphr., Gal.); with the form. cf. διόσπυρον (s.v.), on the meaning Carnoy REGr. 71, 96; μελαγ-κάλαμον n. dvandva `ink and pen' (pap. V^p, Maas Glotta 35, 299f.). Often in PN, with as shortnames e.g. Μελαινεύς, Μελανεύς, Μελανθεύς, Μέλανθος (Boßhardt 95, 101, 154, Schwyzer 263).

Derivatives: 1. μελαιν-άς f. name of a dark-coloured fish (Cratin. [?]; Strömberg Fischnamen 22); - ίς f. name of a sea-shell (Sophr., Herod., Xenokr.), also name of Aphrodite in Corinth (Ath.). 2. μελάν-ιον n. `ink' (pap., Edict. Diocl.; from μέλαν, Georgacas Glotta 36, 169). 3. μελαν-ία f. `blackness, black shadow, black colour' (X., Arist.), - ότης f. `blackness' (Arist.: λευκότης). 4. μελανός = μέλας (Sp.), - όν n. `black pigment' ( Sammelb. IV^p); after κελαινός, ὀρφνός etc.; μελαιναῖος `id.' ( Orac. Sib.; after κνεφαῖος a.o.; Chantraine Form. 47); μελανώδης `blackish' (EM). -- Denominative verbs: 1. μελαίνομαι, -ω `become, make dark, black' (Il.); from this μέλανσις f. `blackening' (Arist.), μέλασ-μα n. `black spot, black paint' (Hp.), - μός m. `blackening, black spot' (Hp., Plu.), μελαντηρ-ία f. `black pigment, blackness' (IG 2<sup>2</sup>, 1672, Arist.), - ιον `stain' (sch.). 2. μελάνω `become (make?) black' (H 64; Schwyzer 700, Shipp Studies 37). 3. μελανέω intr. `id.' (Thphr., A. R., Call.)

Origin: IE [Indo-European]X [probably] [720] * mel(h₂)- `black'

Etymology: To μέλᾱς \< *μέλᾰν-ς, μέλαινα (\< - αν- ι̯α), μέλᾰν is τάλᾱς, τάλαινα, τάλαν a parallel, where it must be noted that τάλας seems to be an orig. ντ-stem. --The identification of μέλαινα with Skt. f. malinī (supp. IE *melh₂n-i̯ǝ), to which a consonantic m. μελαν- was innovated for an older *μέλανος = Skt. malina-'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. malina- is further an ep.-class. deriv. from Ved. mála- n. `dirt'; s. Sommer Nominalkomp. 25, Wackernagel-Debrunner II: 2, 351 f. Of the many words cited under the words mel- indicating colour in WP. 2, 293 f., Pok. 720 f. only a few Baltic formations with n-suffix are interesting, Latv. męl̃ns `black' (see Fraenkel Gnomon 22, 237), OPr. melne `blue spot', mīlinan acc. f. `spot' (further Fraenkel Wb. s. mė́las 2). -- Further s. μολύνω, also μελίνη and μώλωψ.

Page in Frisk: 2,198-199

μέλας, μέλαινα, μέλαν gen. ανος, αίνης, ανος (s. prec. entry; Hom.+; ins, pap, LXX, JosAs 10:1; 14:15; Sib. Or. 4, 75; Philo, Joseph.; Tat. 33, 3) by-form μελανός (acc. sg.-όν JosAs 10:9; 13:2; 14:12 [each μέλαν cod. B]; pl.-ούς TestSol 9:9 C) comp. μελανώτερος (Strabo 16, 4, 12) 1 Cl 8:3.

① black

ⓐ hair (Lev 13:37) Mt 5:36 (opp. λευκός as Artem. 1, 32 p. 34, 5; 9f). Of clothing used in mourning (Polyaenus 6, 7, 1 ἐν μελαίνῃ ἐσθῆτι; Jos., Vi. 138) μ. ὡς σάκκος τρίχινος Rv 6:12; cp. 1 Cl 8:3.

ⓑ apocal. color: w. others Rv 6:5 (cp. Zech 6:2, 6 and s. πυρρός); Hv 4, 1, 10; 4, 3, 2; named alone, and as the color of evil, forming a contrast to the world of light (evil, malignant in the moral realm Solon, Pind. et al.; Diphilus Com. [IV/III B.C.] 91e of a woman; Plut., Mor. 12d μ. ἄνθρωποι; M. Ant. 4, 28 μ. ἦθος; Philostrat., Vi. Apoll. 5, 36 p. 196, 19 of misused gold) Hs 9, 1, 5; 9, 6, 4; 9, 8, 1f; 4f; 9, 9, 5; 9, 13, 8; 9, 15, 1; 3; 9, 19, 1. Hence ὁ μ. the Black One of the devil B 4:9; 20:1 (Lucian, Philops. 31 ὁ δαίμων μελάντερος τοῦ ζόφου).—FDölger, D. Sonne der Gerechtigkeit u. der Schwarze 1918; LZiehen, ARW 24, 1926, 48ff; RGradwohl, Die Farben im AT Beih. ZAW 83, ’63, 50–53. S. also AcThom 55 [Aa II/2, 171, 15]; 64 [180, 16].

② neut. τὸ μέλαν, ανος ink (Pla., Phdr. 276c; Demosth. 18, 258; Plut., Mor. 841e, Solon 17, 3; Synes., Ep. 157 p. 294b κάλαμον κ. χάρτην κ. μέλαν; PGrenf II, 38, 8 [81 B.C.]; POxy 326; PLeid X, 10, 1ff; ParJer 6:19 χάρτην καὶ μέλανα; TestAbr A 12 p. 91, 3f [Stone p. 30] χάρτην καὶ μέλανα καὶ κάλαμον; loanw. in rabb.) ἐπιστολὴ ἐγγεγραμμένη μέλανι 2 Cor 3:3. διὰ μέλανος καὶ καλάμου γράφειν write with pen and ink 3J 13. διὰ χάρτου καὶ μέλανος 2J 12.—Pauly-W. Suppl. VII 1574ff; Kl. Pauly V 856; BHHW III 1991. B. 1052; 1055; 1291. DELG. M-M. TW.