مگر

See also: مڪڙ, مكر, and مګر

Pashto

Alternative forms

• مګر (magar)
• منګر (mangër)
• منگر (mangër)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mə.ˈɡər/

Conjunction

مگر • (magar)

1. Alternative form of مګر

References

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

Persian

Alternative forms

• می (mey) (dialectal)
• مگه (mage) (colloquial)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ˈma.ɡaɾ]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [mǽ.ɡäɾ]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [mǽ.ɡäɾ]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [mǽ.ɡäɾ]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [mǽ.ɡäɾ]

 

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [mǽ.ɡʲæɹ]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [mǽ.ɡʲæɹ]
  • (Tehrani) IPA^(key): [mǽ.ɡʲe]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [mǽ.ɡäɾ]

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

• Rhymes: -ar

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?

   [assuming that the listener did or should have read the book; or, that the speaker had previously thought the listener had 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’ [slander] 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!

   [Not] 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 [it also] 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 [metaphor: teardrops].

     (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.

     [It was] 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

• مگر نه (magar na)

 

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.

   • c. 1075, Abu'l-Fażl Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn Bayhaqī, تاریخ بیهقی [Tārīkh-i Bayhaqī]:

     اکنون همه بر جایند مگر حسنک.

     aknūn hama bar jāy-and magar hasanak.

     Presently, all of them are alive except for Hasanak.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

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]‎^[2]:

     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 [me] a little help [against my rival].

     (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

• → Armenian: մագար (magar)
• → Azerbaijani: məgər
• → Bengali: মাগার (magar), মগর (mogor)
• → Burushaski: mágar
• → Hindustani:

  Hindi: मगर (magar)

  Urdu: مگر (magar)

  • → Phalura: mágar

• → Lezgi: мегер (meger)
• → Ottoman Turkish: مكر (meğer)
  • Turkish: meğer
  • → Armenian: մէյէր (mēyēr), մէկէր (mēkēr), մա̈յա̈ր (mäyär), մա̈նգ^յա̈ր (mäng^yär)
• Pashto: مګر (mangar), منګر (mangër)
• → Punjabi:
  • Gurmukhi script: ਮਗਰ (magar)
  • Shahmukhi script: مگر (magar)
• → Sindhi: مَگَر (magar)
• → Yagnobi: magár
• ⇒ Persian: مگر هم (magar ham), [script needed] (magam) (Dari)
  • → Armenian: մագամ (magam), մակամ (makam)
  • → Burushaski: mágam
  • → Georgian: მაგრამ (magram)
    • → Armenian: մագրամ (magram) — Tbilisi
  • → Ishkashimi: [script needed] (magam)
  • → Khowar: مگم (magam)
  • → Lezgi: мегем (megem), меген (megen)
  • → Parachi: magam
  • → Phalura: magam
  • → Rutul: мегем
  • → Shughni: магам (magam)
  • → Talysh: məqəm
  • → Yagnobi: magam
  • → Yazghulami: магам (magam, “verily”)

Punjabi

Etymology

From Classical Persian مگر (magar).

Conjunction

مگر • (magar) (Gurmukhi spelling ਮਗਰ)

1. but

Synonyms

• پر (par), لیکن (lekin, lekan)

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

• لیکن (lekin)
• پر (par)

Related terms

• اگر (agar)

Etymology 2

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

Noun

مگر • (magar) m (Hindi spelling मगर)

1. alligator
2. crocodile

Synonyms

• گھڑیال (ghaṛiyāl)
• شیر آبی (śīr ābī)