مگر

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

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

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 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 gôšt na-yâfta bûdî u nuql ki ma-râ u kadxudây-am râ bixwardêd?

     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. (Dari, India) but; however

   Synonyms: ولی‎ (vali), امّا‎ (ammâ)

5. (archaic) it happened that...; used to introduce a narrative.
6. (obsolete) as if

   Synonyms: انگار‎ (engâr), گوئی‎ (guyi)

   • 1699, Muḥammad Amīn ibn Mīrzā Muḥammad Zamān Bukhārī, محیط التواریخ [Muḥīṭ al-Tawārīkh]:

     ‏ز دریا مگر بر لب آمد حباب.‎‎

     ze daryâ magar bar lab âmad hobâb.

     [It was] as if bubbles were coming from the sea to its lips.

(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)

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.‎‎

     aknûn hama bar jây-and magar hasanak.

     Presently, all of them are alive except for Hasanak.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

• Do not use مگر آنکه (magar ân-ke) for “except that”, but rather جز آنکه (joz ân-ke), غیر از آنکه (ğeyr az ân-ke), فقط‎ (faqat), etc.

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 raqîb-i dêv-sîrat ba xudâ-yi xwad panâham
     magar ân šihâb-i sâqib madadê dahad xudâ râ

     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 jawâb yâft ki čôn biraft magar zišt bâšad bâzgaštan.

     And he received the reply that, having left, it would indeed be unseemly for him to return.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

From Persian مگر‎ (magar).

مگر • (magar) (Gurmukhi spelling ਮਗਰ)

1. but

• پر‎ (par), لیکن‎ (lekin, lekan)

مَگَر (magar)

1. but

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

مگر • (magar) (Hindi spelling मगर)

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

• لیکن‎ (lekin)
• پر‎ (par)

• اگر‎ (agar)

From Sanskrit मकर (makara).

مگر • (magar) m (Hindi spelling मगर)

1. alligator
2. crocodile

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