močь

Grammatical information: f.

Meaning: `means, tool, contrivance, apparatus, machine, device' (IA, Dor.).

Other forms: Dor. μαχανά.

Compounds: Compp., e.g. μηχανο-ποιός `machine-builder, engineer, machinist' (Att.), ἀ-μήχανος (Dor. - ά-) `without means etc., helpless; who cannot be helped with means, irresistible, impossible' (Il.; partly associated with μηχανάομαι) with ἀμηχαν-ία, - ίη (ι 295), - έω (Ion.).

Derivatives: 1. Uncertain Μαχα-νεύς surn. of Zeus (Argos, Tanagra, Cos, since V^a; s.v. Wilamowitz Glaube 2, 172), also name of a month (Corcyra), Μαχανεῖος name of a month (Chalcedon); Μαχαν-ίς surn. of Athena (Cos), - ῖτις surn. of Aphrodite and Athena (Megalopolis). -- 2. μηχανιώτης `contriver', of Hermes (h. Merc. 436; after ἀγγελι-ώτης a.o., Zumbach Neuerungen 7). -- 3. μηχανάριος `machinist' (pap.). -- 4. μηχαν-όεις `full of means, inventive' (S.), - ικός `id., belonging to machines, mechanical', subst. `machinebuilder' (X., Arist.; Chantraine Études 101 a. 141). -- 5. μηχάνωμα (Dor. μα-) n. `apparatus, crane' (Thphr., Delphi; enlarged from μηχανη, Chantraine Form. 187). -- 6. Denomin. μηχανάομαι (- άω), aor. μηχανήσασθαι etc., also with prefix, e.g. ἐπι-, ἀντι-, προσ-, `realize, construct, manufacture artificially, devise (with ruse)' (Il.); from this μηχάν-ημα `invention, apparatus, mechanical device' (Hp., D., trag.), - ησις `id.' (Hp., Plb.), - ητής m. `inventor of warmaschines' (Sch.), - ητικός `inventive' (X.). -- Besides μῆχαρ n. indecl. `means, tool' (A., Lyc.), μῆχος (Dor. μᾶ-) n. `id.' (Il., also Hdt.), both as opposed to μηχανή dying words without compp. a. abl.

Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]

Etymology: Not with Frisk from a heteroclitic *μᾶχαρ, *μάχαν-ος, from which with added -ā (cf. Schwyzer 459) the almost absolute reigning μαχαν-ά, μηχαν-ή arose; accent after the verbal nouna ( φυλακ-ή, κομιδ-ή etc.). Beside the r-n-stem as so often an s -stem, μῆχος. -- As cognate are usually with Osthoff PBBeitr. 15, 211 ff. (after Bopp, Pott a.o.) considered some short-vowel verbal forms with accompanying nouns in Germanic and Slavic: Germ., e.g. Goth. mag `can, is able, mag', Slav., e.g. OCS mogǫ, mošti, Russ. mogú, močь `can, be able' with Goth. mahts `power, Macht' etc. = OCS moštь, Russ. močь `id.'. Beside this ti-derivation stands in Germ. a n-formation in OHG magan, megin, OWNo. magn, megin `power, might', which may belong directly to μηχανή. Here also (with v. Windekens Lex. etym.) Toch. A mokats `mighty' (like tsop-ats `great' etc.). -- Diff. Prellwitz (as alternative), Fraenkel Lexis 2, 170 a. Wb. s.v.: to Lith. móku, mokė́ti `can, understand, pay' assuming a IE tenuis asp. kʰ; mag, mogǫ etc. are then classified diff. (to Lith. magù, -ė́ti `please, be pleasant', mė́gstu, mė́gti `love, like' etc.). To connect the last mentioned Lith. words also with μηχανή (W.-Hofmann s. mactus, Vasmer s. mogú) is, apart from the meaning, doubtful already because of the ablaut ē: ā one would have to assume. In 1998, 10f [MKNAW Afd. Lett. 61, 9] I pointed out that in Slavic a laryngeal cannot have been vocalized; so the Germ. and Slavic forms cannot go back to * mh₂gh-. The Greek word then remains isolated. The suffix - αν- is typical for Pre-Greek words; note still that Greek has no forms with *μαχ-. -- From Dor. μαχανά Lat. māchina, from μηχανή Pashto mēčan `handmill' (Morgenstierne Acta Or. 7, 200; 18, 143); on the meaning cf. VLat. māchina also `millstone, handmill', Alb. (through Illyrian) mókërë `millstone'. -- WP. 2, 227, Pok. 695; further W.-Hofmann, Vasmer and Fraenkel (s. above).

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