مگر

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See also: مڪڙ, مكر, and مګر

Pashto

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Persian مگر (but, yet, however).

Pronunciation

Conjunction

مگر (magar)

  1. Alternative form of مګر

References

  • مګر”, in Pashto Dictionary, Peshawar, Pakistan: Pukhtoogle, 2020.

Persian

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle Persian 𐭠𐭫 𐭧𐭲 (ʾl ḥt /⁠ma agar⁠/, perhaps; lest), from 𐭠𐭫 (ʾl /⁠ma⁠/, not) + 𐭧𐭲 (ḥt /⁠agar⁠/, if).[1]

Pronunciation

Readings
Classical reading? magar
Dari reading? magar
Iranian reading? magar
Tajik reading? magar

Conjunction

مَگَر (magar)

  1. Used to introduce a question to which the opposite answer is expected, or had been previously assumed; expresses surprise or disbelief.
    مگر کتاب را نخواندی؟ (literary)
    magar ketâb râ na-xândi?
    مگه کتاب و نخوندی؟ (colloquial)
    mage ketâb o na-xundi?
    Didn't you read the book? / Oh, you didn't read the book?
    مگر غذا می‌خواهی؟ (literary)
    magar ğazâ mi-xâhi?
    مگه غذا می‌خوای؟ (colloquial)
    mage ğazâ mi-xây?
    You don't want food, do you? / I thought you didn’t want food?
    • c. 1075, Abu'l-Fażl Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn Bayhaqī, تاریخ بیهقی [Tārīkh-i Bayhaqī]:
      گفت: مگر گوشت نیافته بودی و نقل که مرا و کدخدایم را بخورید؟
      guft: magar gōšt nayāfta būdī u nuql ki marā u kadxudāyam rā bixwarēd?
      He said, “Had you not found any meat or delicacy, that you had to ‘eat’ me and my chamberlain?”
      (Classical Persian transliteration)
  2. unless
    من می‌روم مگر او هم برود. (literary)
    man mi-ravam magar u ham beravam.
    من می‌رم مگه اونم برم. (colloquial)
    man mi-ram mage un-am beram.
    I’ll go unless he goes too.
    مگر از روی جنازه من رد بشوی!
    magar az ru-ye jenâze-ye man rad bešavi!
    unless you cross over my dead body!
  3. Expresses great curiosity or surprise.
    مگه خیلی پول داری! (colloquial)
    mage xeyli pul dâri!
    You have so much money!
  4. (chiefly Dari, Indo-Persian) but; however
    Synonyms: ولی (vali), امّا (ammâ)
    برف منظرۀ طبیعت را خیلی زیبا میسازد، مگر هوا را خیلی سرد میسازد. (Dari, more literary)
    barf manzara-yi tabī'at rā xaylē zēbā mēsāzad, magar hawā rā xaylē sard mēsāzad.
    Snow makes the scenery of nature very beautiful, but makes the air very cold.
    • c. 1520, Selim I of the Ottoman Empire, edited by Benedek Péri, The Persian Dīvān of Yavuz Sulṭān Selīm, Budapest, Hungary: Research Centre for the Humanities, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, →ISBN, page 113:
      زود می‌آمد که دردم را دوا سازد مگر
      باز گشت از در بچشم در فشان مسکین طبیب
      zūd mē-āmad ki dardam rā dawā sāzad magar
      bāz gašt az dar ba-čašm-i durr fišān miskīn tabīb
      He had come early to cure my pain, but
      The helpless physician turned back from the door with eyes strewing pearls .
      (Classical Persian transliteration)
  5. (archaic) it happened that...; used to introduce a narrative.
  6. (obsolete) as if
    Synonyms: انگار (engâr), گوئی (guyi)
    • c. 1520, Selim I of the Ottoman Empire, edited by Benedek Péri, The Persian Dīvān of Yavuz Sulṭān Selīm, Budapest, Hungary: Research Centre for the Humanities, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, →ISBN, page 87:
      تا وزیدست برو از تو نسیم ادبی
      زنده گشتست مگر از دم عیسی لاله
      tā wazīdast bar ō az tō nasīm-i adabī
      zinda gaštast magar az dam-i īsā lāla
      As long as courteous breezes from you have wafted upon it,
      The tulip has become alive, as if from Jesus's breath.
      (Classical Persian transliteration)
    • 1699, Muḥammad Amīn ibn Mīrzā Muḥammad Zamān Bukhārī, محیط التواریخ [Muḥīṭ al-Tawārīkh]:
      ز دریا مگر بر لب آمد حباب.
      zi daryā magar bar lab āmad hubāb.
      as if bubbles were coming from the sea to its lips.

Usage notes

(unless):

  • In this sense, the hypothetical unless-clause introduced by مگر (magar) must follow the then-clause, unless the then-clause is left implicit. من می‌روم مگر او هم برود (man mi-ravam magar u ham beravam) is possible, but not *مگر او هم برود، من می‌روم (*magar u ham beravam, man mi-ravam)

Derived terms

Preposition

مَگَر (magar)

  1. except; except for
    Synonyms: جز (joz), بجز (bejoz), غیر از (ğeyr az), الّا (ellâ)
    همه بودند مگر علی.
    hame budand magar'ali.
    Everyone was there except for Ali.

Adverb

مَگَر (magar)

  1. (archaic) perhaps; perchance; (in wishes) hopefully
    Synonym: شاید (šâyad)
    • c. 1390, Hafez, “Ghazal 6”, in دیوان حافظ [The Divān of Hafez]‎:
      ز رقیب دیوسیرت به خدای خود پناهم
      مگر آن شهاب ثاقب مددی دهد خدا را
      zi raqīb-i dēw-sīrat ba xudā-yi xwad panāham
      magar ān šihāb-i sāqib madadē dahad xudā rā
      From my demon-natured rival, I seek refuge in my Lord;
      By God, may that gleaming flame give a little help .
      (romanization in Classical Persian)
  2. (obsolete) surely; certainly; indeed
    • c. 1075, Abu'l-Fażl Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn Bayhaqī, تاریخ بیهقی [Tārīkh-i Bayhaqī]:
      و جواب یافت که چون برفت مگر زشت باشد بازگشتن
      u jawāb yāft ki čūn biraft magar zišt bāšad bāzgaštan.
      And he received the reply that, having left, it would indeed be unseemly for him to return.
      (Classical Persian transliteration)

Descendants

References

  1. ^ MacKenzie, D. N. (1971) “ma agar”, in A concise Pahlavi dictionary, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press, page 53
  2. ^ Farhâdi, Abd-ul-Ghafûr (1955) Le Persan parlé en Afghanistan: Grammaire du Kâboli (in French), Paris: Kliencksieck, pages 69, 137
  3. ^ Андреев, М. С., Пещерева, Е. М. (1957) “magám”, in Ягнобские тексты с приложением ягнобско-русского словаря, составленного М. С. Андреевым, В. А. Лившицем и А. К. Писарчи [Yagnobi Texts with a Yagnobi–Russian Dictionary Compiled by M. S. Andrejev, V. A. Livšic and A. K. Pisarči]‎ (in Russian), Moscow and Leningrad: Academy Press, page 283a
  4. ^ Morgenstierne, Georg (1938) Iranian Pamir Languages (Indo-Iranian Frontier Languages), volume II, Oslo: Instituttet for Sammenlignende Kulturforskning; H. Aschehoug & Co. (W. Nygaard), page 228b

Punjabi

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

مَگَر (magarf (Gurmukhi spelling ਮਗਰ)

  1. back, backside
    Synonyms: کَن٘ڈ (kaṉḍ), پِٹّھ (piṭṭh)

Adverb

مَگَر (magar) (Gurmukhi spelling ਮਗਰ)

  1. behind, after
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Classical Persian مگر (magar). Compare Hindustani مگر / मगर (magar).

Conjunction

مَگَر (magar) (Gurmukhi spelling ਮਗਰ)

  1. but, yet
    Synonyms: پَر (par), لیکن (lekn)

Etymology 3

Inherited from Sanskrit मकर (mákara).

Noun

مَگَر (magarm (Gurmukhi spelling ਮਗਰ)

  1. crocodile
Synonyms
Derived terms

Sindhi

Etymology

From Classical Persian مگر (magar).

Conjunction

مَگَر (magar)

  1. but

Urdu

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Classical Persian مگر (magar, but, unless, perhaps), from Middle Persian 𐭠𐭫 𐭧𐭲 (ʾl ḥt /⁠ma agar⁠/, perhaps; lest (lit. not if)).

Conjunction

مگر (magar) (Hindi spelling मगर)

  1. but
  2. however
  3. unless
  4. perhaps
  5. possibly
Synonyms

Etymology 2

Inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀫𑀕𑀭 (magara), from Sanskrit मकर (mákara).

Noun

مگر (magarm (Hindi spelling मगर)

  1. alligator
  2. crocodile
Synonyms