mēge

μή,
Elean μά [ᾱ] Refs 6th c.BC+. (Cf. Sanskrit mā´, Armenian mi [from I.-Refs 5th c.BC+ mē´], negative used in prohibitions):—not, the negative of the will and thought, as οὐ of fact and statement; μή rejects, οὐ denies; μή is relative, οὐ absolute; μή subjective, οὐ objective. (A few examples of μηδέ and μηδείς have been included.)
A in INDEPENDENT sentences, used in expressions of will or wish, command, entreaty, warning,
A.1 with present imperative, 2 person, μή μ᾽ ἐρέθιζε Refs 8th c.BC+: rarely with aorist imperative, μὴ.. ἔνθεο τιμῇ Refs 8th c.BC+; in Attic dialect, μὴ ψεῦσον, ὦ Ζεῦ, τῆς.. ἐλπίδος Refs 8th c.BC+perfect imperative Refs 8th c.BC+ person when perfect = present, μὴ κεκράγετε Refs 5th c.BC+
A.2 with subjunctive (usually Refs, in prohibitions, μὴ δή με.. ἐάσῃς Refs 8th c.BC+; μή τοί με κρύψῃς τοῦτοRefs 5th c.BC+: coupled with present imperative, μὴ βοηθήσητε τῷ πεπονθότι δεινά, μὴ εὐορκεῖτε Refs 8th c.BC+ person present subjunctive, μὴ κάμνῃς Refs 5th c.BC+: also with the hortative subjunctive used to supply the Refs person of the imperative, present μὴ ἴομεν Refs 8th c.BC+: aorist μὴ πάθωμεν Refs 5th c.BC+: rarely with 1st pers. singular, μή σε.. κιχείω Refs 8th c.BC+ (anapaest meter).
A.2.b with present or aorist subjunctive in a warning or statement of fear, μὴ.. γένησθε take care you do not become, Refs 8th c.BC+; μὴ.. ὑφαίνῃσιν I fear.. may prove to be weaving, Refs 8th c.BC+: in Attic dialect Prose, to make a polite suggestion of apprehension or hesitation, perhaps, μὴ ἀγροικότερον ᾖ τὸ ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν Refs 5th c.BC+: in later Greek the indicative is found, μὴ ἡ ἔννοια ἡμῶν.. ἀντιλαμβάνεται Refs 5th c.AD+
A.3 with future indicative, a uncertain usage (νεμεσήσετ᾽ is subjunctive in Refs 8th c.BC+; μὴ βουλήσεσθε (Papyrus βούλη[σθ]ε) Refs 5th c.BC+
A.4 with past tenses of indicative to express an unfulfilled wish, μὴ ὄφελες λίσσεσθαι Refs 8th c.BC+
A.5 with optative to express a negative wish, with present, ἃ μὴ κραίνοι τύχη Refs 4th c.BC+: more frequently with aorist, μὴ σέ γ᾽ ἐν ἀμφιάλῳ Ἰθάκῃ βασιλῆα Κρονίων ποιήσειεν Refs 8th c.BC+
A.6 in oaths and asseverations, ἴστω Ζεὺς.., μὴ μὲν τοῖς ἵπποισιν ἀνὴρ ἐποχήσεται ἄλλος Refs 8th c.BC+
A.7 with infinitive, when used as imperative, μὴ δή μοι ἀπόπροθεν ἰσχέμεν ἵππους Refs 8th c.BC+
A.8 frequently without a Verb, εἰ χρή, θανοῦμαι. Answ. μὴ σύ γε (i.e. θάνῃς) Refs 5th c.BC+; ἄπελθε νῦν. Answ. μὴ (i.e. γενέσθω) ἀλλά nay but, Refs 5th c.BC+; in curt expressions, μὴ τριβὰς ἔτι (i.e. ποιεῖσθε) Refs 5th c.BC+; μή μοι σύ none of that to me! Refs 5th c.BC+; μή μοι πρόφασιν no excuses! Refs 5th c.BC+
B in DEPENDENT clauses:
B.1 with Final Conjs., ἵνα μή Refs 8th c.BC+, that so, ὅπως ἂν.. μηδέ Refs 8th c.BC+; but
B.1.b μή alone, ={ἵνα μή}, lest, ἀπόστιχε μή τινοήσῃ Ἥρη Refs 8th c.BC+: future indicative and aorist subjunctive in consecutive clauses, Refs 5th c.BC+
B.2 in the protasis of conditional sentences, see at {εἰ} (for the exceptions see at {οὐ}), and with temporal conjunctions used conditionally, see at {ἐπειδάν, ὅταν, ὅτε}, etc.
B.2.b ὅτι μή except, ὅτι μὴ Χῖοι μοῦνοι Refs 5th c.BC+; ὅσα μὴ ἀποβαίνοντες provided only that they did not disembark, Refs 5th c.BC+
B.3 in later Gr., with causal Conjs., ὁ μὴ πιστεύων ἤδη κέκριται, ὅτι μὴ πεπίστευκεν NT+2nd c.AD+ that, ὅτι μὴ ἐστὶν ἐπίπεδος οὕτως ἂν καταμάθοιμεν Refs 2nd c.AD+
B.4 in relative clauses, which imply a condition or generality, ὃς δὲ μὴ εἶδέ κω τὴν κανναβίδα whoever.., Refs 5th c.BC+; ὃ μὴ κελεύσει (perhaps κελεύσαι) Ζεύς such a thing as.., Refs 4th c.BC+; λέγονθ᾽ ἃ μὴ δεῖ such things as one ought not, Refs 5th c.BC+: frequently with subjunctive, ᾧ μὴ ἄλλοι ἀοσσητῆρες ἔωσιν Refs 8th c.BC+
B.5 with infinitive,
B.5.a regularlyfrom Homer on, except after Verbs of saying and thinking (but see below c): after ὥστε or ὡς, ὥστε μὴ φρονεῖν Refs 4th c.BC+: always when the infinitive takes the Article, τὸ μὴ προμαθεῖν Refs 5th c.BC+
B.5.b by an apparent pleonasm after Verbs of negative result signifying to forbid, deny, and the like, ὁ δ᾽ ἀναίνετο μηδὲν ἑλέσθαι Refs 8th c.BC+ (μηδέν); ἀντιλέγειν Refs 5th c.BC+ (μηδέ); ἀπαγορεύειν Refs 5th c.BC+ (μηδέ); ἀποτρέπεσθαι Refs (μηδέν); ἀρνεῖσθαι, ἔξαρνος εἶναι, Refs 5th c.BC+; παύειν (where the participle is more frequently) Refs 5th c.BC+: in these cases the Article frequently precedes μή, τὸ δὲ μὴ λεηλατῆσαι.. ἔσχε τόδε Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐξομῇ τὸ μὴ εἰδένα; Refs 5th c.BC+; εἴργειν τὸ μή.. Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐμποδὼν γίγνεσθαι τοῦ μή.. Refs
B.5.c after Verbs of saying and thinking which involve an action of will, as in those signifying to swear, aver, believe, and the like; so after ὄμνυμι, Refs 8th c.BC+: occasionally with other Verbs, φημί Refs 5th c.BC+; λέγω, προλέγω, Refs 5th c.BC+; πάντες ἐροῦσι μή.. Refs 5th c.BC+; νομίζωRefs 5th c.BC+: very frequently in later Gr., Refs 5th c.BC+
B.6 with the participle, when it can be resolved into a conditional clause, μὴ ἐνείκας, = {εἰ μὴ ἤνεικε}, Refs 5th c.BC+; μὴ θέλων, ={εἰ μὴ θέλεις}, Refs 4th c.BC+; μὴ δολώσαντος θεοῦ, ={εἰ μὴ ἐδόλωσε}, Refs; μὴ δρῶν, ={εἰ μὴ δρῴην}, Refs 5th c.BC+, = ut qui nihil sciam, Refs; τίς πρὸς ἀνδρὸς μὴ βλέποντος ἄρκεσι; one who sees not, Refs: in this signification frequently with the Article, ὁ μὴ λεύσσων Refs 5th c.BC+: with causal significance, μὴ παρὼν θαυμάζεται Refs 5th c.BC+: very frequently in later Greek, Refs 1st c.AD+: occasionally after Verbs of knowing and showing, Refs 5th c.BC+
B.7 with Substantives, adjectives, and adverbs used generically, with or without Article, τὰ μὴ δίκαια Refs 5th c.BC+; ἡ μὴ 'μπειρία, ={τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ἐμπειρίαν}, want of experience, Refs 5th c.BC+; δῆμον καὶ μὴ δῆμονRefs 4th c.BC+
B.8 after Verbs expressing fear or apprehension (compare μὴ οὐ):
B.8.a when the thing feared is future, mostly with subjunctive: with present subjunctive, δεινῶς ἀθυμῶ μὴ βλέπων ὁ μάντις ᾖ shall proveto be.., Refs 5th c.BC+: more frequently with aorist, δείδοικα.. μή σε παρείπῃ Refs 8th c.BC+: with perfect, shall prove to have been, δέδοικα μὴ περαιτέρω πεπραγμέν᾽ ᾖ μοι Refs 5th c.BC+: less frequently with future indicative, Refs 5th c.BC+: with optative according to the sequence of moods and tenses: present optative, Refs 5th c.BC+: aorist, Refs 8th c.BC+: perfect, Refs 5th c.BC+: with future optative in oratio obliqua, Refs 5th c.BC+vect.4.41.
B.8.b when the action is present or past, the indicative is used, εἰσόρα μὴ σκῆψιν οὐκ οὖσαν τίθης Refs 8th c.BC+
B.8.c with indicative and subjunctive in consecutive clauses, Refs 5th c.BC+
C in QUESTIONS:
C.I direct questions,
C.I.1 with indicative, where aneg. answer is anticipated (but more generally in Refs 8th c.BC+; μή σοι δοκοῦμεν..; Refs 5th c.BC+ (μηδέ) follows οὐ, see at {οὐ μή}.
C.I.1.b in other questions, τί μὴ ποιήσ; what am I not to do? Refs 5th c.BC+; τί μ; why not? Refs; compare μήν
C.I.2 with subjunctive, when the speaker deliberates about a negative action, μὴ οὕτω φῶμε; Refs 5th c.BC+; ὁ τοιοῦτος μὴ δῷ δίκη; Refs 4th c.BC+; πῶς μὴ φῶμε; Refs 5th c.BC+; how can a man help being excited when he speaks? Refs 5th c.BC+
C.II indirect questions, frequently with Verbs implying fear and apprehension Refs 8th c.BC+; also σκοπεῖσθαι πῶς ἂν μή.. Refs 5th c.BC+; later in simple indirect questions, ἐπυνθάνετο μὴ ἔγνω Refs 2nd c.AD+
C.II.2 in questions introduced by εἰ, ἤρετό με.. εἰ μὴ μέμνημαι Refs 5th c.BC+; εἴτε.. εἴτε μή.., εἰ.. ἢ οὔ, εἰ.. ἢ μή without difference of meaning between μή and οὐ, Refs 5th c.BC+
D POSITION of μή. When the negative extends its power over the whole clause, μή properly precedes the Verb. When its force is limited to single words, it precedes those words. But Poets sometimes put μή after the Verb, ὄλοιο μή πω Refs 5th c.BC+; φράσῃς.. μὴ πέραRefs
D.2 μή is sometimes repeated, μή, μή καλέσῃς Refs 5th c.BC+
E PROSODY: in Trag. μή may be joined by synizesis with a following ει or ου, μὴ οὐ, μὴ εἰδέναι, Refs 5th c.BC+: initial ε after μή is cut off by aphaeresis, μὴ 'πὁθουν Refs followed by α is sometimes written μἀ.. (see. μὴ ἀλλά, etc.); sometimes separately, μὴ ἀδικεῖν Refs 4th c.BC+
F μή in COMPOSITION (joined with other words), as μὴ ἀλλά, μὴ γάρ, μὴ οὐ, μὴ ὅπως or ὅτι, μή ποτε, etc., will be found in alphabetical order.

H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.