μέλᾱς
(μέλᾰς [[ 3rd c.BC: Rhianus Epicus 58, where μέγας is corrupt for μέλας), μέλαινα, μέλᾰν] Refs 3rd c.BC+]; genitive μέλᾰνος, μελαίνης, μέλᾰνος, etc.; Epic dialect dative μείλανι (for the sake of meter) [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 24.79 ] Refs 8th c.BC+]: Aeolic dialect nominative μέλαις, from *μέλανς, [[ 4th-5th c.AD: Choeroboscus Grammaticus “Scholia in Theodosii Canones” 1.123, Greg.Cor. p.599 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus, hence restored in 7th-6th c.BC: Sappho Lyrica 57] Refs 7th c.BC+]:—black, dark: in [[ 8th c.BC: Homerus Epicus ] Refs 8th c.BC+] generally, dark in colour, οἶνος [[ 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 5.265 ] Refs 8th c.BC+]; μέλαν αἷμα, κῦμα, [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 4.149, 23.693; γαῖα μέλαινα 2.699, compare 7th-6th c.BC: Sappho Lyrica “Papyrus fragments” in E. Diehl, 5.2; ὕδωρ μέλαν Αἰσήποιο 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 2.825, compare 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 4.359, νηῦς μ.] Refs 8th c.BC+], from its being pitched over, [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 1.300, +others] Refs 8th c.BC+]; of men, dark, swarthy, μέλανας δὲ ἀνδρικοὺς ἰδεῖν [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Plato Philosophus “Respublica” 474e; ἰσχυρός τις ἦν, μ. 4th c.BC: Demosthenes Orator 21.71 ] Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὰ μ. black marks about the ears of dogs, [[ 5th-6th c.BC: Xenophon Historicus “Cynegeticus” 5.23. ] Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II dark, murky, ἕσπερος [[ 8th c.BC: Odyssea Homerus Epicus “Odyssey” 1.423; εὐφρόνα 5th c.BC: Pindarus Lyricus “N.” 7.3. ] Refs 8th c.BC+]
__III metaphorically, black, dark, θάνατος [[ 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 2.834, etc.; κήρ [prev. work] 859, etc.] Refs 8th c.BC+]; ὀδύναι [[ 4.117, etc. (the origin of the metaphor is seen in the phrases θανάτου μ. νέφος, ἄχεος νεφέλη μ., 16. 350, 18.22)] Refs]; μ. τύχα, ἀρά, [[ 4th-5th c.BC: Aeschylus Tragicus “Supplices” 89 (Lyric poetry), “Th.” 832 (Lyric poetry); Ἐρινύς [prev. work] 993 (Lyric poetry),compare “Eu.” 52; ἄτα [prev. author] “Ag.” 769 (Lyric poetry); Ἄρης [prev. work] 1511 (Lyric poetry)] Refs 4th c.BC+]; Ἅιδης [[ 5th c.BC: Sophocles Tragicus “Oedipus Tyrannus” 29; Ἅιδου μ. ἀνάγκα 5th c.BC: Euripides Tragicus “Hippolytus” 1388 (Lyric poetry), etc.] Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἡμέραι μέλαιναι, = Latin dies atri, [[ 1st-2nd c.AD: Plutarchus Biographus et Philosophus “Lucullus” 27. ] Refs 1st c.AD+]