Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
μέν. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
μέν, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
μέν in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
μέν you have here. The definition of the word
μέν will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
μέν, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Ancient Greek
Etymology
From Proto-Hellenic *hmén, from Proto-Indo-European *smé. Cognate with Sanskrit स्म (smá).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /mén/ → /men/ → /men/
Particle
μέν • (mén) (discourse particle)
- on the one hand, while, whereas (often left untranslated)
- (before other particles) accordingly, and so
Usage notes
The main instance of the word is used to show that the word or clause with which it is attached answers to a following word or clause introduced by δέ or another equivalent particle (the particle may often be implied).
Descendants
Further reading
- “μέν”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “μέν”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “μέν”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
- μέν in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
- μέν in Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
- “μέν”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
- G3303 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible