μέλλω to think of doing, intend to do, to be about to do, with inf., mostly inf. fut., τάχʼ ἔμελλε δώσειν he was just going to give, Il.; μέλλεις ἀφαιρήσεσθαι ἄεθλον thou thinkest to strip me of the prize, Il.; often with οὐκ ἄρα, as, οὐκ ἄρʼ ἔμελλες λήξειν; did you not think you might stop? could you not stop? Od., etc.; to be about to do (on compulsion), to be destined to do or to be, τὰ οὐ τελέεσθαι ἔμελλον which were not to be accomplished, Il.; μέλλεν οἶκος ἀφνειὸς ἔμμεναι the house was destined to be wealthy, Od.; εἰ ἐμέλλομεν ἀνοίσειν if we were able to refer, Plat. to express a certainty, μέλλω ἀπέχθεσθαι Διί it must be that I am hated by Zeus, Il.; μέλλω ἀθανάτους ἀλιτέσθαι I must have sinned against the immortals, Od. to mark a probability, when it may be rendered to be like to do or be, or expressed by an adv., τὰ δὲ μέλλετʼ ἀκουέμεν belike ye have heard it, Hom.; μέλλεις ἴδμεναι thou art like to know of it, Od.; ἐμέλλετʼ ἆρα πάντες ἀνασείειν βοήν aye, all of you were like to raise (i. e. I thought you would raise) a cry of submission, Ar. to mark mere intention, to be always going to do without ever doing, and so to delay, put off, hesitate, scruple, mostly with inf. pres., τί μέλλομεν χωρεῖν; Soph.; often followed by μὴ οὐ or μή, τί μέλλομεν μὴ πράσσειν; Eur. μέλλω often stands without its inf., τὸν υἱὸν ἑόρακας αὐτοῦ; Answ. τί δʼ οὐ μέλλω; why shouldnʼt I have seen him? i. e. be sure I have, Xen.; οὐδὲν ἐπάθετε οὐδὲ ἐμελλήσατε (sc. παθεῖν) Thuc.:—so, when μέλλω seems to govern an acc., an inf. is omitted, τὸ μέλλειν ἀγαθά (sc. πράσσειν) the expectation of good things, Eur.: hence the part. μέλλων without an inf. (where εἶναι or γίγνεσθαι may be supplied), ὁ μ. χρόνος the future time, Pind., Aesch.; esp. in neut., τὸ μέλλον, τὰ μέλλοντα things to come, the event, issue, future, Aesch., etc.:—so in Mid., τὰ ἰσχυρότατα ἐλπιζόμενα μέλλεται your strongest pleas are hopes in futurity, Thuc. μέλλομαι as Pass., ὡς μὴ μέλλοιτο τὰ δέοντα that the necessary steps might not be delayed, Xen.; ἐν ὅσωι ταῦτα μέλλεται while these delays are going on, Dem.