μήν

μήν

See also: μην

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /mɛ̌ːn/ → /min/ → /min/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mɛ̌ːn/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /me̝n/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /min/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /min/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /min/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Hellenic *méns (“month”), from Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥s (“moon, month”), probably from *meh₁- (“to measure”). Cognate with Latin mēnsis (“month”), and English moon, month.

Alternative forms

• μείς (meís)
• μής (mḗs) – Laconian
• μεύς (meús) – Elean

Noun

μήν • (mḗn) m (genitive μηνός); third declension

1. Attic form of μείς (meís, “month”)

Inflection

Third declension of ὁ μήν; τοῦ μηνός (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ μήν ho mḗn	τὼ μῆνε tṑ mêne	οἱ μῆνες hoi mênes
Genitive	τοῦ μηνός toû mēnós	τοῖν μηνοῖν toîn mēnoîn	τῶν μηνῶν tôn mēnôn
Dative	τῷ μηνῐ́ tôi mēní	τοῖν μηνοῖν toîn mēnoîn	τοῖς μησῐ́ / μησῐ́ν toîs mēsí(n)
Accusative	τὸν μῆνᾰ tòn mêna	τὼ μῆνε tṑ mêne	τοὺς μῆνᾰς toùs mênas
Vocative	μήν mḗn	μῆνε mêne	μῆνες mênes
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Indo-European *meh₂. Cognate with Old Irish má (“if”).

Alternative forms

• μᾱ́ν (mā́n) – Aeolic, Doric, Epic

Particle

μήν • (mḗn) (discourse particle)

1. used to strengthen statements: verily, surely, truly, definitely
2. (after other particles)
   1. (ἦ μήν) absolutely
   2. (καὶ μήν) used to introduce something new or convey affirmation
   3. (αλλὰ μήν) yet truly, on the other hand
   4. (οὐ μήν) certainly not
   5. (μήτε μήν) not even
3. (after interrogatives, τί μήν) of course, naturally
4. (after a negative) applies an adversative force

Further reading

• “μήν”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μήν”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “μήν”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• μήν in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• μήν in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• “μήν”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G3376 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• μήν in Trapp, Erich, et al. (1994–2007) Lexikon zur byzantinischen Gräzität besonders des 9.-12. Jahrhunderts [the Lexicon of Byzantine Hellenism, Particularly the 9th–12th Centuries], Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • month idem, page 539.