mu
English edit
← lambda |
→ nu | |
Wikipedia article on mu |
Etymology 1 edit
From Ancient Greek μῦ (mû), derived from Phoenician 𐤌𐤌 (mm /mem/, “water”). Doublet of mem.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
mu (countable and uncountable, plural mus)
- The 12th letter of the Modern Greek alphabet.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
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Etymology 2 edit
From Japanese 無 (mu, “nothing, neither yes nor no”).
Pronunciation edit
Interjection edit
mu
- (Zen Buddhism) Neither yes nor no.
- 1974, Robert M[aynard] Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow & Company, →ISBN:
- Mu means "no thing." Like "Quality" it points outside the process of dualistic discrimination. Mu simply says, "No class; not one, not zero, not yes, not no." […] It's a great mistake, a kind of dishonesty, to sweep nature's mu answers under the carpet.
- 1979, Douglas Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid:
- Achilles: Oh, but MU is Jōshū’s answer. By saying MU, Jōshū let the other monk know that only by not asking such questions can one know the answer to them.
Tortoise: Jōshū “unasked” the question. […]
Achilles: […] And the answer of “MU” here rejects the premises of the question, which are that one or the other must be chosen.
- 1996, Dan Simmons, “Looking for Kelly Dahl”, in The Year's Best Science Fiction, page 424:
- "Mu," said Kelly Dahl.
On one level mu means only yes, but on a deeper level of Zen it was often used by the master when the acolyte asked a stupid, unanswerable or wrongheaded question such as "Does a dog have the Buddha-nature?" The Master would answer only, "Mu," meaning—I say "yes" but mean "no," but the actual answer is: Unask the question.
- 2002, Norman Waddell, Masao Abe, The Heart of Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō, page 72:
- The Fifth Patriarch's utterance You say mu [Buddha-nature] because Buddha-nature is emptiness articulates clearly and distinctly the truth that emptiness is not "no". In uttering Buddha-nature-emptiness one does not say "half a pound." One does not say "eight ounces." One says "mu."
- 2010, Joan Price, Sacred Scriptures of the World Religions, page 70:
- A monk once asked Master Joshu, 'Has a dog the Buddha Nature or not?' Joshu said, 'Mu!'
Noun edit
mu (uncountable)
- (Zen Buddhism) Nothingness; nonexistence; the illusory nature of reality.
- 2012, Omori, Introduction To Zen Training, →ISBN, page 115:
- That being the case, we should naturally choose to contemplate mu from morning to night, forgetting everything.
- 2012, Dr Robert Wilkinson, Nishida and Western Philosophy, →ISBN:
- Consequently, though mu is mindlike, the likeness to individual consciousness cannot be pushed very far.
- 2013, Sean Murphy, Natalie Goldberg, One Bird, One Stone: 108 Contemporary Zen Stories, →ISBN, page xvii:
- The monk posed to Chaoi-chou a question: Does a dog have a buddha nature or not?" Chao-chou, without a moment's hesitation, answered, “Mu." (Translated as "No.")
- 2013, Maura O'Halloran, Pure Heart, Enlightened Mind, →ISBN:
- If mu is mind, consciousness, it is nothing.
Usage notes edit
Used to answer a question that if answered with "yes" or "no" would imply something false.
Synonyms edit
- (nothingness): See also Thesaurus:inexistence
See also edit
- (non-affirmative, non-negative answer): n/a
Etymology 3 edit
Noun edit
mu (plural mu)
- A unit of surface area, currently equivalent to two-thirtieths of a hectare.
- [1959 September, Tung Ta-lin [董大林], “The Inevitability of Quick Transition from Lower to Higher Stage of Agricultural Co-operation”, in Agricultural Co-operation in China [中国农业合作化的道路] (China Knowledge Series)[1], 2nd edition, Peking: Foreign Languages Press, →OCLC, page 72:
- The Lucky Star Co-operative in Chuwo County on the plains of southern Shansi had, before the anti-Japanese war, 26 wells, 4 water-wheels and 166.1 mou of irrigated fields, 4.82 per cent of its total arable land.]
- [1965 July 9 [1965 June 7], “Chienchiang County Reports Increase in Crops”, in Daily Report: Foreign Radio Broadcasts[2], number 131, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, sourced from Wuhan Domestic Service, →OCLC, page DDD 2[3]:
- Good news on the summer harvest prevailed in the countryside of Chienchiang County, Hupeh. The county reported remarkable increased in its 600,000 mou of summer food crops this year, surpassing the yield in 1962 which was considered as the best year.]
- 2004, Peter Ho, “The Wasteland Auction Policy in Northwest China: Solving Environmental Degradation and Rural Poverty?”, in Rural Development in Transitional China: The New Agriculture[4], →ISBN, →ISSN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 125[5]:
- Pengyang county was administered by Guyuan before 1988. In contrast to Guyuan, Pengyang is relatively wealthy. Farmers earn a considerable income through tobacco cultivation, which can yield an annual gross income of Rmb 1,500-2,000 per mu. In 1996, the cultivated area of tobacco in Pengyang was 11,000 mu.⁷
- 2007, Chang Liu, Peasants and Revolution in Rural China: Rural Political Change in the North China Plain and the Yangzi Delta, 1850-1949, page 87:
- Of 114 village farming families, only ten had more than 30 mu of land and only five had more than 60 mu.
Anagrams edit
Albanian edit
Pronoun edit
mu
Anguthimri edit
Noun edit
mu
- (Mpakwithi) buttocks
References edit
- Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 187
Asturian edit
Interjection edit
mu
- moo (sound made by a cow or bull)
Czech edit
Pronunciation edit
Pronoun edit
mu
Synonyms edit
Dutch edit
Etymology edit
From Ancient Greek μῦ (mû). Doublet of mem.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
mu m (plural mu's, diminutive muutje n)
- mu (letter of the Greek alphabet)
Further reading edit
- mu on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia nl
Estonian edit
Pronoun edit
mu
Usage notes edit
Extremaduran edit
Adverb edit
mu
See also edit
French edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
mu m (plural mu)
- mu (Greek letter)
Participle edit
mu (feminine mue, masculine plural mus, feminine plural mues)
Further reading edit
- “mu”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Hanga Hundi edit
Noun edit
mu
- (a) crocodile
Further reading edit
Hausa edit
Etymology edit
Cognates include Mangas mun, Polci mii, Miship mun.
Pronunciation edit
Pronoun edit
mū
- we (1st person plural pronoun)
Ikobi-Mena edit
Noun edit
mu (Mena), mụ (Ikobi)
References edit
- Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67
Indonesian edit
Pronunciation edit
Pronoun edit
mu
- (text messaging, informal) Alternative spelling of -mu.
Italian edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
mu m or f (invariable)
- the name of the letter M
Japanese edit
Romanization edit
mu
Jingpho edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Burmese မူး (mu:).
Noun edit
mu
- two anna bit
References edit
Jurchen edit
Noun edit
mu
References edit
- Gisaburō Norikura Kiyose, A Study of the Jurchen Language and Script: Reconstruction and Decipherment (1977)
Kituba edit
Pronoun edit
mu
Kom (Cameroon) edit
Etymology 1 edit
Noun edit
mu
Etymology 2 edit
Adjective edit
mu
References edit
- Randy Jones, Provisional Kom - English lexicon (2001, Yaoundé, Cameroon)
Lashi edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
mu
- to happen
References edit
- Hkaw Luk (2017) A grammatical sketch of Lacid[7], Chiang Mai: Payap University (master thesis)
Malay edit
Etymology edit
Shortened form of kamu, from Proto-Malayic *kamu(ʔ), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)kamu, *kamiu, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)kamu, *kamiu.
Pronunciation edit
Pronoun edit
mu
See also edit
singular | plural | ||
---|---|---|---|
1st person | standard | saya / ساي aku/ku- / اکو / كو- (informal/towards God) -ku / -كو (informal possessive) hamba / همبا (dated) |
kami / کامي (exclusive) kita orang / كيت اورڠ (informal exclusive) kita / کيت (inclusive) |
royal | beta / بيتا | ||
2nd person | standard | kamu / کامو anda / اندا (formal) | |
engkau/kau- / اڠکاو/ كاو- (informal/towards God) awak / اوق (friendly/older towards younger) -mu / -مو (possessive) |
awak semua / اوق سموا kamu semua / كامو سموا kalian / کالين (informal) kau orang / كاو اورڠ (informal) | ||
royal | tuanku / توانكو | ||
3rd person | standard | dia / دي ia / اي beliau / بلياو (honorific) -nya / -ڽ (possessive) |
mereka / مريک dia orang / دي اورڠ (informal) |
royal | baginda / بݢيندا |
Mandarin edit
Romanization edit
mu
- Nonstandard spelling of mū.
- Nonstandard spelling of mú.
- Nonstandard spelling of mǔ.
- Nonstandard spelling of mù.
Usage notes edit
- Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.
Northern Sami edit
Pronunciation edit
Pronoun edit
mū
Old Irish edit
Pronunciation edit
Determiner edit
mu (triggers lenition)
- Alternative form of mo (“my”)
Polish edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Alternative forms edit
Pronoun edit
mu m
Pronoun edit
mu n
See also edit
Etymology 2 edit
Onomatopoeic.
Interjection edit
mu
- moo (sound made by cows and bulls)
Derived terms edit
Further reading edit
- mu in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese edit
Pronunciation edit
- Rhymes: -u
- Hyphenation: mu
Etymology 1 edit
Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese muu, from Latin mūlum (“mule”). Doublet of mulo.
Noun edit
mu m (plural mus)
Related terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek μῦ (mû).
Noun edit
mu m (plural mus)
- mu (Greek letter)
- Synonym of muão, múon (“muon”)
Etymology 3 edit
Alternative forms edit
Interjection edit
mu
- moo (the call of a cow)
Romanian edit
Etymology edit
Interjection edit
mu
- moo (sound made by cows)
Scottish Gaelic edit
Etymology edit
From Old Irish imb. Cognates include Irish um and Manx mysh.
Pronunciation edit
Preposition edit
mu (+ dative, triggers lenition, combined with the singular definite article mun)
- about, around
- Bha craobhan mu ghàrradh an taighe. ― There were trees around the house's yard.
- about, concerning
- Bha sinn a' bruidhinn mu làithean san sgoil againn. ― We were talking about our days at school.
- about, approximately
- Bidh a' chuairt a' toirt mu thrì uairean. ― The trip will take about three hours.
Inflection edit
Personal inflection of mu | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number | Person | Simple | Emphatic | ||||||
Singular | 1st | umam | umamsa | ||||||
2nd | umad | umadsa | |||||||
3rd m | uime | uimesan | |||||||
3rd f | uimpe | uimpese | |||||||
Plural | 1st | umainn | umainne | ||||||
2nd | umaibh | umaibhse | |||||||
3rd | umpa | umpasan |
Derived terms edit
- mu chuairt air (“about”)
- mu chuairt (“around”)
- mu dheidhinn (“concerning”)
- mu dheireadh (“last (adjective); at last”)
- mun cuairt (“around”)
Serbo-Croatian edit
Pronoun edit
mu (Cyrillic spelling му)
- to him (clitic dative singular of ȏn (“he”))
- to it (clitic dative singular of òno (“it”))
- (emphatic, possessive, dative) his, of his (clitic dative singular of ȏn (“he”))
- Gdje mu je auto?
- Where is his car?
- (emphatic, possessive, dative) its, of its (clitic dative singular of òno (“it”))
Declension edit
Singular | Plural | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
nominative | ȏn | òna | òno | òni | òne | òna |
genitive | njȅga, ga | njȇ, je | njȅga, ga | njȋh, ih | njȋh, ih | njȋh, ih |
dative | njȅmu, mu | njȏj, joj | njȅmu, mu | njȉma, im | njȉma, im | njȉma, im |
accusative | njȅga, ga, nj | njȗ, ju, je | njȅga, ga, nj | njȋh, ih | njȋh, ih | njȋh, ih |
vocative | — | — | — | — | — | — |
locative | njȅm, njȅmu | njȏj | njȅm, njȅmu | njȉma | njȉma | njȉma |
instrumental | njȋm, njíme | njȏm, njóme | njȋm, njíme | njȉma | njȉma | njȉma |
Spanish edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Interjection edit
mu
- moo (sound of a cow)
Derived terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
Noun edit
mu f (plural múes)
Etymology 3 edit
Adverb edit
mu
Further reading edit
- “mu”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Sumerian edit
Romanization edit
mu
- Romanization of 𒈬 (mu)
Swedish edit
Pronunciation edit
- Rhymes: -ʉː
Interjection edit
mu
Noun edit
mu n
See also edit
Anagrams edit
Tày edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Tai *ʰmuːᴬ (“pig”). Cognate with Thai หมู (mǔu), Northern Thai ᩉ᩠ᨾᩪ, Lao ໝູ (mū), Lü ᦖᦴ (ṁuu), Tai Dam ꪢꪴ, Shan မူ (mǔu), Ahom 𑜉𑜥 (mū), Zhuang mou, Bouyei mul.
Pronunciation edit
- (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA(key): [mu˧˧]
- (Trùng Khánh) IPA(key): [mu˦˥]
Noun edit
References edit
- Hoàng Văn Ma; Lục Văn Pảo; Hoàng Chí (2006) Từ điển Tày-Nùng-Việt [Tay-Nung-Vietnamese dictionary] (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Từ điển Bách khoa Hà Nội
Tooro edit
10 | ||||
1 | 2 → [a], [b] | 10 → | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Cardinal: -mu, (in abstract counting) emu Ordinal: -a okubanza Adverbial: kubanza, enyalimu, omurundi gumu |
Etymology edit
From Proto-Bantu *-mòì. Cognate with Kikuyu -mwe and Zulu -nye.
Pronunciation edit
Numeral edit
-mu
- one
- omuntu omu ― one person
- (in the plural) some
- abantu abamu ― some people
- (in the plural) same
- abantu abamu ― the same people
Declension edit
Noun class | indefinite | definite | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | singular | plural | |
1/2 | omu | bamu | omu | abamu |
3/4 | gumu | emu | ogumu | emu |
5/6 | limu | gamu | erimu | agamu |
7/8 | kimu | bimu | ekimu | ebimu |
9/10 | emu | zimu | emu | ezimu |
11/10 | rumu | orumu | ||
12/14 | kamu | bumu | akamu | obumu |
13 | tumu | otumu | ||
14/6 | bumu | gamu | obumu | agamu |
15/6 | kumu | okumu | ||
16 | hamu | ahamu | ||
18 |
Derived terms edit
References edit
- Kaji, Shigeki (2007) A Rutooro Vocabulary[8] (in English), Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), →ISBN, page 145
- Rubongoya, L. T. (2013) Katondogorozi y'Orunyoro-Rutooro n'Orungereza [Runyoro-Rutooro-English and English-Runyoro-Rutooro dictionary][9] (in English), Kampala: Modrug Publishers, →ISBN, pages 238, 542, 571, 583
Turkish edit
Particle edit
mu
- Used to form interrogatives.
- Ona bu soruyu sordun mu?
- Did you ask him/her this question?
- Mutlu musun?
- Are you happy?
- Pikniğe gitmiyor muyuz?
- Aren't we going for a picnic?
- Ona bu soruyu sordun mu?
Usage notes edit
Tzotzil edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Adjective edit
mu
Etymology 2 edit
Particle edit
mu
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
(particles)
References edit
- “mu(1)”, “mu(2)” in Laughlin, Robert M. (1975) The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of San Lorenzo Zinacantán. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
- Laughlin, Robert M. [et al.] (1988) The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of Santo Domingo Zinacantán, vol. I. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Vietnamese edit
Etymology edit
It is not clear which between "pubic region" and "shell" is the more original, although the sense "back" is certainly a derivative.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
Volapük edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Spanish muy (“very”).
Adverb edit
mu
West Makian edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
mu
Conjugation edit
Conjugation of mu (stative verb) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | |||
inclusive | exclusive | |||
1st person | timu | mimu | amu | |
2nd person | nimu | fimu | ||
3rd person | inanimate | imu | dimu | |
animate | mamu | |||
imperative | —, mu | —, mu |
Alternative forms edit
References edit
- Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours[10], Pacific linguistics
Yoruba edit
Etymology 1 edit
Alternative forms edit
- mọ (Ọ̀wọ̀, Ìkálẹ̀)
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
mu
- to drink
- Má mu ọtí tó o bá fẹ́ wakọ̀. ― Don't drink alcohol if you want to drive.
- to suck
- Ọmọ-ọwọ́ ṣì ń mu ọmú. ― The baby is still sucking breast.
- to lick (juicy fruits such as oranges, or deserts such as ice cream)
- Ọmọdé ń mu ọsàn. ― The child is licking orange.
- to smoke
- Kò kí ń mu sìgá. ― She doesn't smoke cigarettes.
Derived terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
mú
- to take
- to catch
- Àwọn ọlọ́pàá ti mú wa o. ― The police have caught us!
- Mo mú bọ́ọ̀lù. ― I caught the ball.
- to have an effect on (relating to temperature)
- Òtútù ń mú mi. ― I feel cold. (Cold is having an effect on me)
- (auxiliary verb) to cause something to do something else (must be used with another verb)
- Oògùn yẹn mú mi sùn. ― That drug made me sleep.
- Ó mú mi mumi. ― It made me drink water.
- to be sharp
- Ọbẹ̀ náà mú. ― That knife is sharp.
Derived terms edit
- mú wá (“to bring”)
- mú ẹ̀tanú kúrò (“to break down stereotypes”)
- mú dání (“to hold”)
Etymology 3 edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
mù
- to be hidden
- Ó mù sábẹ́ igbó. ― It's hidden under the bush.
Etymology 4 edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
mù
Derived terms edit
- mùwé (“to be smart”)
Zou edit
Verb edit
mu