μελεδ-ώνη

μελεδ-ώνη, ἡ,

A care, sorrow, in pl., Od.19.517, Sapph.17, Theoc.21.5, Cerc.7.5;

ἄγρυπνοι μελεδῶναι Phanocl.1.5

: rare in Prose, Gal.18(1).363: in h.Ap. 532, h.Merc. 447, Hes.Op.66, Thgn.883, the vulg. readings μελεδώνων, μελεδῶνας (as if from μελεδών) shd. prob. be corrected μελεδωνῶν, -δώνας; cf. μεληδών.

II in sg., = μελέτη, δέεται πολλῆς μ. Hp.Mul.1.36.

Grammatical information: v.

Meaning: `be anxious, care for, go to the heart'; ἐπι-μέλομαι and - έομαι Schwyzer 721) `care for', μετα-μέλομαι, μετα-μέλει μοι `repent' (IA.).

Other forms: 3. sg. μέλει μοι, μέλομαι, fut. μελήσω, - σει, - σομαι (Il.), aor. μελῆσαι, ἐμέλησε (Att.), pass. μεληθῆναι (S.), perf. μέμηλα, -ε (Il.), midd. μέμβλεται, - το (Il., with new present μέμβλομαι [A. R., Opp.]), μεμέληκε (Att.), μεμέλημαι (Theoc., Call.)

Derivatives: 1 μέλημα n. `anxiety, object of care, darling' (Sapph., Pi., A.), μελησμός `care' (EM). 2. μελέτωρ, - ορος m. `who cares for' = `avenger' (S. El. 846); cf. Fraenkel Nom. ag. 2, 10f., Benveniste Noms d'agent 32. - 3. μελετάω `care for, study, practise oratory' (Hes., h. Merc.) beside μελέτη `care, educator, pactice etc.' (Hes.); because of the accent (: γενετή, τελετή a. o.) prob. at least partly backformation like e.g. ἀγάπη from ἀγαπάω; diff. e.g. Fraenkel Nom. ag. 2, 115 a. 152, Porzig Satzinhalte 246; on the deverbatives in - ( ε)τάω Schwyzer 705; from this μελετη-ρός `who likes practice' (X.). From μελετάω: μελέτ-ημα `practise' (Att.), - ησις `id.' (AB). - ητικός `caring' (LXX), - ητής m. `trainer' (Aristid.), - ητήριον `place for practice' (Plu.). -- 4. μελε-δῶνες f. pl. (late sg.) `cares, concerns' (v. l. τ 517, h. Hom., Hes., Thgn.), also μελη-δόνες, - δών `id.' (Simon., A. R.); - εδων- and - ηδον- both metr. conditioned for - εδον-; μελεδῶναι pl. `id.' (v.l. τ 517, Sapph., Theoc., sg. - ώνη Hp.); on - ών: - ώνη Egli Heteroklisie 12; μελεδωνός m. f. `watcher' (Ion.; Fraenkel Nom. ag. 1, 234), - ωνεύς `id.' (Theoc.; Boßhardt 65). Here as denominat. μελεδαίνω `care for' (Ion., Archil.; Schwyzer 724; besides μελεταίνω Argos VI^a after μελετάω) with μελεδήματα pl. = μελε-δῶνες (Ψ 62; after νοήματα, Porzig Satzinhalte 187; cf. also Debrunner IF 21, 34), μελεδήμων `caring' (Emp., AP; after νοήμων a. o., Chantraine Form. 173), μελεδ-ηθμός `practice' (Orac.); backformation μελέδη f. `care' (Hp.; after μελέτη). -- From ἐπι-μέλομαι: 1. ἐπιμελ-ής `caring for, anxious, who is at the heart' (IA.) with verbal function of the σ-stem (Schwyzer 513); from it ἐπιμέλεια `care, attention' (Att.); 2. ἐπιμελη-τής m. `who cares, governor' etc. To μετα-μέλομαι analogically μεταμέλεια `repentance, change of mind' (Att.); also (backformation) μετάμελος `id.' (Th. 7, 55).

Origin: XX [etym. unknown]

Etymology: Beside the full grade thematic root-present μέλω (Schwyzer 684) stands with remarkable lengthened grade the perfect μέμηλα (archaic; s. Specht KZ 62, 67 with Schulze), to which with zero grade and remarkable thematic vowel the middle μέμβλεται, - το for *με-μλ-ε- (Schwyzer 770 a. 768, Chantraine Gramm. hom. 1, 426 u. 432). The η-enlargement in μελ-ή-σω (Schwyzer 782 f., Chantraine 1, 446) conquered in time the whole verbal system: μελῆ-σαι, - θῆναι, μεμέλη-κε, - μαι. -- No convincing etymology. Against the connection with μέλλω (e.g. Curtius 330f., Pok. 720, Hofmann Et. Wb.) WP. 2, 292, who considers the connection with μάλα `very', Lat. melior `better' (Prellwitz, Brugmann Grundr.² 2: 3, 459, Bq). (W.-) Hofmann s. melior reminds after Loth Rev. celt. 41, 211 of Welsh gofal `caree', diofal `without care, quiet', dyfal `attent'. -- Machek Studia in hon. Acad. d. Dečev 51 f. wants to equate μέλει μοι with Čech. mele mne `I am grieved'.

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