ἀμήχανος

ἀμήχᾰνος, [dialect] Dor. [full] ἀμάχανος, ον,

A without means or resources, helpless, Od.19.363;

πενία ἀ. B.1.61

;

πόριμον αὑτῷ τῇ πόλει δ' 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 μ' ἄνωγας ἀμήχανον ἄλλο τελέσσαι ib. 14.262;

τοῦτο δ' 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: [comp] 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] 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

; ἀμή χανον 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;

ἀμή χανόν τι οἷον Chrm.155d

. Adv.,

ἀμηχάνως ὡς εὖ R.527e

;

ἀ. γε ὡς σφόδρα Phdr.263d

.