μέλας Ancient Greek · revision 15494

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=inherited|attested=Homer, Iliad|origins=ine-pro *melh₂-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /mé.laːs/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈme.las/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈme.las/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''μέλᾱς''' (mélās) ''m'' (feminine μέλαινᾰ, neuter μέλᾰν); first/third declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|grk-pro|*mélans]], [[inh|ine-pro|*mélh₂ns]], from the root [[m|ine-pro|*melh₂-|t=dark, black]].^(Wiktionary) The nominative μέλᾱς is from [[m|grc|*μέλανς|tr=*mélans]], and the feminine [[m|grc|μέλαινα|tr=mélaina]] from [[m|grc|*μέλανyα|tr=*mélanya]], like [[m|grc|τάλας|tr=tálās]], [[m|grc|τάλαινα|tr=tálaina]];^(Πάπυρος) Aeolic has [[m|grc|μέλαις|tr=mélais]].^(Πάπυρος)^(Beekes 2010)^(LSJ 1940)

+

+ Its closest relatives are Baltic: [[lv|melns|t=black]], [[prg|melne|t=blue bruise]] and [[lt|mėlynas|t=blue]].^(Frisk 1960)^(Wiktionary) It is generally compared with [[sa|मल|tr=mála|t=dirt]], [[m|sa|मलिन|tr=malina|t=dirty]], but Frisk rejected the older idea that μέλας replaced an earlier [[m|grc|*μέλανος|tr=*mélanos]] equal to the Sanskrit adjective, since that adjective is a later derivative of the noun for “dirt”.^(Frisk 1960)^(IE-CoR)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The ancient grammarian Orion derived it from “not seeing”.^(Etygram)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Homer uses it for things dark in colour: dark wine, black blood, the dark wave, the black earth, the dark water of a river, and the black ships, so called from their pitch.^(LSJ 1940) It appears from the first book of the ''Iliad'' (1.141).^(GLAUx)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Classical Greek used it for black rock, ash, iron, smoke and grapes, and Plato, Theophrastus and Menander for black bile.^(CGL 2021) Of people it meant dark-skinned, swarthy, as in Plato and Demosthenes.^(LSJ 1940) It also had the figurative senses evil and obscure.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ It is very common as the first part of compounds, such as [[μελάγχροος|tr=melánkhroos]] “dark-skinned”.^(Beekes 2010) Modern Greek uses ''μέλας'' only as a learned word, in phrases such as the Spartan “black broth” and in place names (the Black Forest), the everyday word being ''μαύρος''.^(Triantafyllidis 1998) English ''melano-'' comes from its combining form.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Homer – The ''Iliad'' uses it for black ships, blood and earth.^(LSJ 1940)^(GLAUx)

+ * 5th century BC – Herodotus and Aristophanes use it for dark plants and fruits.^(CGL 2021)^(DGE)

+ * 5th–4th century BC – Plato uses it for black as a colour and for black bile.^(CGL 2021)^(DGE)

+ * 4th century BC – Demosthenes uses it for a swarthy man.^(LSJ 1940)^(DGE)

+ * 1st century AD – The New Testament uses it six times.^(IE-CoR)

+ * Modern Greek – ''μέλας'' survives as a learned word.^(Triantafyllidis 1998)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|black|alt=Black]], [[m|en|dark]] in colour.^(LSJ 1940)^(CGL 2021)

+ # Of people: dark-skinned, [[m|en|swarthy]].^(LSJ 1940)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Of hair or eyes: dark, black.^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(figurative)'' Evil; dark, obscure.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(neuter)'' Black colour; a black pigment.^(CGL 2021)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ἀμφιμέλας|tr=amphimélas]]

+ * [[μελάγγαιος|tr=melángaios]]

+ * [[μελαγκευθής|tr=melankeuthḗs]]

+ * [[μελαγκόρυφος|tr=melankóruphos]]

+ * [[μελάγκουρος|tr=melánkouros]]

+ * [[μελάγκροκος|tr=melánkrokos]]

+ * [[μελαγχαίτης|tr=melankhaítēs]]

+ * [[μελάγχιμος|tr=melánkhimos]]

+ * [[μελαγχίτων|tr=melankhítōn]]

+ * [[μελάγχλαινος|tr=melánkhlainos]]

+ * [[μελαγχολάω|tr=melankholáō]]

+ * [[μελαίνω|tr=melaínō]]

+ * [[μελαμβαθής|tr=melambathḗs]]

+ * [[μελάμβροτος|tr=melámbrotos]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[μέλαν|tr=mélan]]

+ * [[en|melano-]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}