μέλλω,
imperfect ἔμελλον and ἤμελλον (see. below),
Epic dialect μέλλον [
Refs 8th c.BC+];
Epic dialect,
Ionic dialect μέλλεσκον [
Refs 3rd c.BC+]:
future μελλήσω [
NT+4th c.BC+]:
aorist ἐμέλλησα [
Refs 5th c.BC+]:—
passive and
middle, see below see.—Only
present and
imperfect in [
Refs 8th c.BC+], Lyric poetry, and Trag:
aorist only in Prose (except [
Refs 6th c.BC+]
imperfect ἤμελλον with long augment is established by the metre in [
Refs 8th c.BC+]:
aorist 1 ἠμέλλησα [
Refs 6th c.BC+]; ἤμελλον is not found in earlier
Attic dialect Inscrr, but occurs in Papyrus, as [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
I)
to be destined or
likely to, indicating an estimated certainty or strong probability in the present, past, or future (cf. Aristonic. cited in [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
present infinitive (or its equivalent), of a probability in the present, ὅθι που μέλλουσιν ἄριστοι βουλὰς βουλεύειν where
belike the best are holding counsel, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ᾧ μέλλεις εὔχεσθαι to whom thou
doubtless prayest, [
Refs]; μέλλεις δὲ σὺ ἴδμεναι
doubtless thou knowest, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; τὰ δὲ μέλλετ᾽ ἀκουέμεν
belike you have heard it, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὄλβον δὲ θεοὶ μέλλουσιν ὀπάζειν
methinks it is the gods who give wealth, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; εἰ δ᾽ οὕτω τοῦτ᾽ ἐστίν, ἐμοὶ μέλλει φίλον εἶναι
you may be sure it is my good pleasure, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
aorist infinitive, of a probability in the past, μέλλω που ἀπεχθέσθαι Διὶ πατρί I
must have become hateful to father Zeus, [
Refs]; κελευσέμεναι δέ σ᾽ ἔμελλε δαίμων a god
must surely have bidden thee, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; πολλάκι που μέλλεις ἀρήμεναι you
must often
have prayed, [
Refs]; μέλλω ἀθανάτους ἀλιτέσθαι I
must have sinned against the immortals, [
Refs]; ἄλλοτε δή ποτε μᾶλλον ἐρωῆσαι πολέμοιο μέλλω at any other time rather than this I
may have drawn back, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; μέλλει μέν πού τις καὶ φίλτερον ἄλλον ὀλέσσαι before now,
no doubt, a man
has lost, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; of a destiny in the past, ἔμελλεν οἷ αὐτῷ θάνατον. λιτέσθαι he
was fated to have been praying for his own death, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἄρ᾽ ἔμελλον ἑταίρῳ κτεινομένῳ ἐπαμῦναι since I
was (i.e.
am) not
destined to have succoured my comrade when they were slaying him, [
Refs]
present infinitive, οὐκ ἄρ᾽ ἔμελλες ἀνάλκιδος ἀνδρὸς ἑταίρους ἔδμεναι he
was to turn out no helpless man whose comrades you ate, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
future infinitive, of a destin y or probability in the future, ἅ οὐ τελέεσθαι ἔμελλον which
were not
to be accomplished, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; τάχα δ᾽ ἀνστήσεσθαι ἔμελλεν[
Refs 8th c.BC+]; περὶ τρίποδος γὰρ ἔμελλον θεύσεσθαι they
were to have run, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]
present infinitive, καὶ γὰρ ἐγώ ποτ᾽ ἔμελλον ἐν ἀνδράσιν ὄλβιος εἶναι I
had a chance of being,
might have been, [
Refs 8th c.BC+]: with
aorist infinitive [
Refs 4th c.BC+]
infinitive understood, [τὰ μὲν] πάσχουσι, τὰ δὲ μέλλουσι [πάσχειν] [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἀλλ᾽ οὐχ οὑμὸς τοῦτο πέπονθεν βίος οὐ μὰ Δί᾽ οὐδέ γε μέλλει no, not
likely! [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
I.d) in εἰ clauses, εἰ μέλλει πόλις εἶναι if it
is to be a city, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
future infinitive, εἰ ἐμέλλομεν. ἀνοίσειν if we
were to refer, [
Refs]: with
aorist infinitive, εἰ μέλλομεν. δηλῶσαι [
Refs]: so in
participle, τὴν μέλλουσαν οἰκήσεσθαι πόλιν καλῶς [
Refs 4th c.BC+]
I.e) in final clauses, ξυνεπιμέλεσθαι ᾗ μέλλει ἄριστα ἕξειν, = {ᾗ ἄριστα ἕξει}, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
I.f) in questions, the
infinitive being understood, τί οὐ μέλλω (μέλλεις, etc.); why
shouldn't I? why
is it not
likely that I should, i. e.
yes, of course, τὸν υἱὸν ἑόρακας αὐτο; Answ. τί δ᾽ οὐ μέλλω (i.e. ἑορακέναι);
of course I have, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; τί δ᾽ οὐ μέλλει, εἴπερ γε δρᾷ αὐτ; [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; πῶς γὰρ οὐ μέλλε; [
Refs]; ἀλλὰ τί μέλλε; what (else)
would you expect? i. e.
yes, of course, [
Refs]
II)
to be about to, in purely temporal sense, with
future infinitive, Ἕκτορα δῖον ἔτετμεν ἀδελφεόν, εὖτ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ἔμελλε στρέψεσθ᾽ ἐκ χώρης [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὁ μέν μιν ἔμελλε γενείου. ἁψάμενος λίσσεσθαι (perhaps
present infinitive), ὁ δ᾽ αὐχένα μέσσον ἔλασσε [
Refs 8th c.BC+]; δειπνήσειν μέλλομεν, ἢ τ; [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
present infinitive, τί μέλλεις δρᾶ; [
Refs 5th c.BC+]: more rarely with
aorist infinitive, παθεῖν [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀναλαβεῖν, λιπεῖν, θανεῖν, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀπολέσαι, λαβεῖν, [
Refs 5th c.BC+] —The
infinitive is sometimes omitted, τὸ μέλλειν ἀγαθά (i.e. πράσσειν or πράξειν) the
expectation of good things, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
III)
to be always going to do without ever doing: hence,
delay, put off, frequently in Trag. (also in
middle μέλλομαι, see infr. IV near the end): in this
signification usually followed by
present infinitive, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; τοὺς ξυμμάχους. οὐ μελλήσομεν τιμωρεῖν· οἱ δ᾽ οὐκέτι μέλλουσι κακῶς πάσχειν we
shall not
delay to succour our allies, for their sufferings
are not
being delayed, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]: rarely followed by
aorist infinitive, [
Refs]
infinitive is frequently omitted, τί μέλλει; why
delayest thou? [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; μέλλον τι. ἔπος a
hesitating word, which one hesitates to speak, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; μέλλων σφυγμός a
hesitating pulse, [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]
IV)
participle μέλλων is used quasi-adjectivally, ὁ μ. χρόνος the
future time, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]
the future tense, [
Refs 2nd c.BC+]; ἡ μ. αὐτοῦ δύναμις his
future power, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὸν μ. βλαστόν (καρπόν codices) [
Refs 4th c.BC+]
things to come, the future, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; opposed to to what is simply future (τὸ ἐσόμενον), [
Refs 4th c.BC+]; εἰς τὸ μέλλον (i.e. ἔτος) [
NT+1st c.AD+]
middle, τὰ ἰσχυρότατα ἐλπιζόμενα μέλλεται your strongest pleas
are hopes
in futurity, [
Refs 5th c.BC+] — but
V)
passive μέλλομαι, ὡς μὴ μέλλοιτο τὰ δέοντα that the necessary steps
might not
be delayed, [
Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐν ὅσῳ ταῦτα μέλλεται while these
delays are going on, [
Refs 4th c.BC+]
future μελλήσομαι uncertain reading in [
Refs 6th c.AD+]
perfect participle μεμελλημένος, = {μέλλων, σφυγμός} [
Refs 2nd c.AD+]