μή

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See also: μυ, μι, and μη

Ancient Greek

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Proto-Hellenic *mḗ, from Proto-Indo-European *meh₁ (prohibitive particle). Cognate with Old Armenian մի (mi), Sanskrit मा (), Old Persian 𐎶𐎠 (m-a /⁠mā⁠/), and Albanian mos.[1]

Pronunciation

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Particle

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μή (mḗ) (negative particle)

  1. not (used in clauses expressing will or thought)
    1. (with an imperative or subjunctive in negative commands)
    2. (with an optative or past indicative, expressing a negative wish)
    3. (in a question expecting a negative answer)
    4. (in dependent clauses)
    5. (with participle representing conditional clause)
  2. (in warnings or statements of fear)
    1. (in independent clauses) that ... not; that
      • 386 BCE – 367 BCE, Plato, Meno 89c:
        Σωκράτης   [] ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῦτο οὐ καλῶς ὡμολογήσαμεν.
        Sōkrátēs   [] allà mḕ toûto ou kalôs hōmologḗsamen.
        Socrates: But [let's hope] that we didn't agree on this incorrectly.
        or [I'm worried] that we agreed [] .
    2. (introducing indirect statement after verb of fearing or apprehension) that

Usage notes

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μή is the negative of thought or wish, but οὐ (ou) of objective statements of fact.

Derived terms

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References

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  1. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “μή”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 941

Further reading

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