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ἀμήχανος

ἀμήχανος, ἀμήχανος ον, impossible, impracticable (adjective)

ἀμήχᾰνος, Dor. ἀμάχανος, ον,
  • without means or resources, helpless, Od. 19.363; πενία ἀ. B. 1.61; πόριμον αὑτῷ τῇ πόλει δʼ ἀ. Ar. Ra. 1429; ἀ. καὶ ἄτεχνος Pl. Plt. 274c; of animals, opp. εὐμήχανος, Arist. HA 614b34: hence,
      • 2 incapable, awkward, ἀφραδέες καὶ ἀ. h.Ap. 192, cf. Theoc. 1.85; τὸν ἀ. ὀρθοῦν A. Th. 227; ἀ. γυνή E. Hipp. 643; ἀ. εἴς τι awkward at thing, Id. Med. 408. Adv., ἀμηχάνως ἔχειν, = ἀμηχανεῖν, A. Ch. 407, E., etc.
      • 3 c. inf., at a loss how to do, unable to do, τὸ δὲ βίᾳ πολιτῶν δρᾶν ἔφυν ἀ. S. Ant. 79; -ώτατος ὅ τι χρὴ λέγειν πορίσασθαι [D.] 60.12, etc.
    • II more freq. in pass. sense, allowing of no means:
      • 1 impracticable, unmanageable, c. inf., ἀμήχανός ἐσσι πιθέσθαι Il. 13.726.
        • b of things, hard, impossible, τοῦτό μʼ ἄνωγας ἀμήχανον ἄλλο τελέσσαι ib. 14.262; τοῦτο δʼ ἀ. εὑρεῖν Pi. O. 7.25, cf. Hdt. 1.48; ὁδὸς ἀ. εἰσελθεῖν road hard or impossible to enter on, X. An. 1.2.21; ἀ. ἐστὶ γενέσθαι Emp. 12, cf. Hdt. 1.48, 204, S. Ant. 175, etc.: abs., ἀμήχανα impossibilities, ἀμηχάνων ἐρᾶν ib. 90, cf. 92; δεινὸς . . εὑρεῖν κἀξ ἀ. πόρον A. 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; ἀ. ἐσσι, ἀ. ἔπλευ, Il. 10.167, 16.29; Ἔρος . . ἀ. ὄρπετον Sapph. 40.
        • b of things, ἀ. ἔργα mischief without help or remedy, Il. 8.130; δόλος Hes. Th. 589; κήδεα Archil. 66; δύαι A. Eu. 561 (lyr.); ἄλγος, νόσοι, S. El. 140 (lyr.), Ant. 363 (lyr.); συμφορά Simon. 5.11, cf. E. Med. 392; κακόν ib. 447: Comp. -ωτέρα, ἀγλαΐα Them. Or. 4.51c.
        • c esp. of dreams, inexplicable, not to be interpreted, Od. 19.560.
      • 3 extraordinary, enormous, ποταμῶν ἀ. μεγέθη Pl. Phd. 111d; ἡδοναί Id. Phlb. 46e; ἀμήχανον εὐδαιμονίας an inconceivable amount of happiness, Id. Ap. 41c: freq. c. acc., ἀ. 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., ἀ. πλήθει τε καὶ ἀτοπία Pl. Phdr. 229d (nisi leg. ἀμηχάνων πλήθη τε καὶ ἀτοπίαι, where ἀ. = monsters): abs., infinitely great, δύναμις Plot. 5.3.16.
        • b freq. in Pl. with οἷος, ὅσος, ἀμήχανον ὅσον χρόνον Phd. 95c; ἀμηχάνῳ ὅσῳ πλέονι by it is impossible to say how much more, R. 588a; ἀμήχανόν τι οἷον Chrm. 155d. Adv., ἀμηχάνως ὡς εὖ R. 527e; ἀ. γε ὡς σφόδρα Phdr. 263d.

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