μηχανάομαι

mechanaomai

make by art, construct, build

Appears 17 times across Aristotle's works.

Frequency by work

Click a work to list every occurrence by Bekker number — each links into the reader.

Parts of Animals 10
Open Parts of Animals ›
Book II 4
Chapter 7 652a24–653b18

652a31
652b20

Chapter 8 653b19–654a31

653b34

Chapter 9 654a32–655b27

655b7
Book III 5
Chapter 3 664a12–665a26

664b22
664b32
665a8

Chapter 4 665a27–667b9

665b13

Chapter 14 674a9–676a5

675b12
Book IV 1
Chapter 10 685b29–690b10

687b22
Generation of Animals 2
Open Generation of Animals ›
Book I 1
Chapter 4 717a11–717b13

717a29
Book II 1
Chapter 6 741b25–745b20

745a31
History of Animals 2
Open History of Animals ›
Book V 1
Chapter 19 550b22–552b25

552a23
Book IX 1
Chapter 11 614b31–615a19

614b31
De Mundo 1
Open De Mundo ›
Chapter 5 396a33–397b6

396b33
Metaphysics 1
Open Metaphysics ›
Book Α 1
Chapter 4 984b23–985b22

985a18
Poetics 1
Open Poetics ›
Chapter 15 1454a16–1454b18

1454b2

Dictionary (LSJ)

μηχανάομαι, fut. -ήσομαι A. Th. 1043, Pl. Lg. 965e: aor. ἐμηχανησάμην ib.904b, etc.: pf. μεμηχάνημαι (v. infr. B): used by Hom. only in Ep. forms, μηχανάασθε Od. 20.370, μηχανόωνται 3.207, al., -ωντο 22.432, al. (subj. -άᾱται Hes. Op. 241); opt. -όῳτο Od. 16.196; inf. -άασθαι 3.213, 16.93: the Ion. form ἐμηχανέοντο is found in codd. of Hdt. 8.7 (ἐμηχανῶντο shd. be read for -έατο in 5.63, and μηχανῴατο for -οίατο in 6.46): (μηχανή):—A. make by art, construct, build, τείχεα μηχανόωντο Il. 8.177; πλοῖα Hdt. 1.94, cf. Th. 4.47; of any work requiring skill or art, μ. λαγόν prepare a hare, Hdt. 1.123; μ. σκιάς X. Cyr. 8.8.17: generally, prepare, make ready, τάφον καὶ κατασκαφάς τινι A. Th. 1043; ψυχῆς κόμιστρα τῇδε Id. Ag. 965; ἐσβάσεις E. IT 101. 2. more freq. contrive, devise, by art or cunning, freq. in bad sense, ἀτάσθαλα, κακά, ἀεικέα μηχανόωνται, Od. 3.207, 17.499, 22.432; θάνατόν τινος Antipho 1.3; but in good sense, γέλωτα μ. τοῖς συνοῦσι X. Cyr. 2.2.12; τισὶ μ. δύναμιν εἰς σωτηρίαν Pl. Prt. 320e; simply, bring about, effect, Hdt. 2.21; πόσα σε δέοι ἂν μηχανᾶσθαι τοῦ δοκεῖν ἕνεκα X. Cyr. 1.6.22:—Constr.: μ. τί τινι contrive something against a person, Od. 3.207; πατρὶ θάνατον Antipho 1.9; πᾶν ἐπί τινι Hdt. 4.154, cf. 6.88, etc.; τι εἴς τινα ib. 121, E. Ph. 1614; ἐπί τινα X. Mem. 2.3.10: abs., form designs or plots, πολλοὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ μηχανόωνται Od. 4.822; μ. τι ἐπί τινι for a purpose, Hdt. 1.60; πρός τι X. Cyr. 8.2.26; ἐκ τῶν ἐσθλῶν αἰσχρὰ μ. E. Hipp. 331: in Prose freq. folld. by ὅπως, how or in order that, μ. ὅπως τι ἔσται Hdt. 2.121.γʹ, Pl. Ap. 39a, etc.; πᾶσαν μηχανὴν μ. ὅπως . . Id. R. 460c: c. acc. et inf., contrive that a thing may be, ib. 519e. II. Med., procure for oneself, S. Ph. 295, X. Cyr. 3.2.15. B. Act. μηχανάω used by Hom. only in Ep. part., ἀτάσθαλα μηχανόωντας contriving dire effects, Od. 18.143, cf. A.R. 3.583; inf. μηχανᾶν S. Aj. 1037: pf. μεμηχάνημαι in pass. sense, Hdt. 1.98, 2.95, S. Tr. 586, X. Cyr. 8.3.1, Isoc. 3.6; λόγοι πρὸς τὸ φενακίζειν ὑμᾶς μεμηχανημένοι D. 22.35 (but also in act. sense, Pl. Grg. 459d, Lg. 904b, X. Hier. 11.4, Is. 11.36, etc.): plpf. in pass. sense impers., οὕτως ἐμεμηχάνητο αὐτοῖς Antipho 5.55: aor. ἐμηχανήθην in pass, sense, Epicur. Nat. 2.2, D.H. 12.14, J. AJ 18.2.4.

Key passages & sense analysis (Bonitz)

Index Aristotelicus. Hermann Bonitz's sense-by-sense analysis of μηχανάομαι — with the passages he singles out as decisive for each meaning — will appear here. That curated, interpretive selection is the layer LSJ and a raw concordance don't provide. Digitisation in progress; this entry is not yet available.

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