Bible Lexicons

οὐ, the negative of fact and statement, as μή of will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective. —

The same differences hold for all compds. of οὐ and μή, and some examples of οὐδέ and οὐδείς are included below. —

As to the Form, v. infr. G. USAG E.

I as the negative of single words,

II as the negative of the sentence.

I οὐ adhering to single words so as to form a quasi-compd. with them: — with Verbs: οὐ δίδωμι withhold, Il. 24.296; οὐκ εἰῶ prevent, 2.132, 4.55, al.; οὐκ ἐθέλω refuse, 1.112, 3.289, al.; οὔ φημι deny, 7.393, 23.668, al. (In most of these uses μή can replace οὐ when the constr. requires it, e.g. εἰ μή φησι ταῦτα ἀληθῆ εἶναι Lycurg. 34; but sts. οὐ is retained, εἰ δ' ἂν.. οὐκ ἐθέλωσιν Il. 3.289; εἰ δέ κ'.. ου'κ εἰῶσι 20.139; ἐὰν οὐ φάσκῃ Lys. 13.76; ἐάντε.. οὐ (v.l. μή) φῆτε ἐάντε φῆτε Pl. Ap. 25b): —

with Participles: οὐκ ἐθέλων Il. 4.224, 300, 6.165, etc.: — with Adjectives: οὐκ ἀέκοντε 5.366, 768, al.; οὐ πολλήν Th. 6.7, etc.: — with Adverbs: οὐχ ἥκιστα Id. 1.68, etc.: rarely with Verbal Nouns (v. infr. 11.10). —

On the use of οὐ in contrasts, v. infr. B.

II as negativing the whole sentence,

1 οὐ is freq. used alone, sts. with the ellipsis of a definite Verb, οὔκ (sc. ἀποκερῇ), ἄν γε ἐμοὶ πείθῃ Pl. Phd. 89b: sts. as negativing the preceding sentence, Ar. Pax 850, X. HG 1.7.19: as a Particle of solemn denial freq. with μά (q. v.) and the acc.; sts. without μά, οὐ τὸν πάντων θεῶν θεὸν πρόμον Ἅλιον S. OT 660 (lyr.), cf. 1088 (lyr.), El. 1063 (lyr.), Ant. 758.

2. with ind. of statement, τὴν δ' ἐγὼ οὐ λύσω Il. 1.29, cf. 114, 495; οὐ φθίνει Κροίσου φιλόφρων ἀρετά Pi. P. 1.94; ἔνθα κεν οὔ τιν' ἀδάκρυτόν γ' ἐνόησας Ἀργείων Od. 24.61; οὔ κεν.. ἔπαξε Pi. N. 7.25; οὐκ ἂν ὑπεξέφυγε Il. 8.369.

3. with subj. in fut. sense, only in , οὐ γάρ τίς με βίῃ γε ἑκὼν ἀέκοντα δίηται 7.197; οὐκ ἄν τοι χραίς μῃ κίθαρις 3.54, cf. 11.387.

4. with opt. in potential sense (without ἄν or κεν), also , ὃ οὐ δύο γ' ἄνδρε φέροιεν 5.303, 20.286.

5. with opt. and ἄν, κείνοισι δ' ἂν οὔ τις.. μαχέοιτο 1.271, cf. 301, 2.250, Hdt. 6.63, A. Pr. 979, S. Aj. 155 (anap.), E. IA 310, Ar. Ach. 403, etc.

6. in dependent clauses οὐ is used, with ὅτι or ὡς, after Verbs of saying, knowing, and showing, ἐκ μέν τοι ἐρέω.. ὡς ἐγὼ οὔ τι ἑκὼν κατερύκομαι Od. 4.377, cf. S. El. 561, D. 2.8, etc.: so with ind. or opt. and ἄν, ἀπελογοῦντο ὡς οὐκ ἄν ποτε οὕτω μωροὶ ἦσαν X. HG 5.4.22, cf. Pl. R. 330a; ὡς δὲ οὐκ ἂν δικαίως αὐτοὺς δέχοισθε μαθεῖν χρή Th. 1.40, cf. X. Cyr. 1.1.3, etc.: with opt. representing ind. in orat. obliq., ἔλεξε παιδὶ σῷ.. ὡς.. Ἕλληνες οὐ μενοῖεν A. Pers. 358, cf. S. Ph. 346, Th. 1.38, X. HG 6.1.1, Pl. Revelation 22:1-21 b, etc.: for μή in such sentences, v. μή B. 3. in all causal sentences, and in temporal and Relat. sentences unless there is conditional or final meaning, χωσαμένη, ὅ οἱ οὔ τι θαλύσια.. ῥέξε Il. 9.534; ἄχθεται ὅτι οὐ κάρτα θεραπεύεται Hdt. 3.80; διότι οὐκ ἦσαν δίκαι, οὐ δυνατοὶ ἦμεν παρ' αὐτῶν ἃ ὤφειλον πράξασθαι Lys. 17.3; μή με κτεῖν', ἐπεὶ οὐχ ὁμογάστριος Ἕκτορός εἰμι Il. 21.95, etc.; νῦν δὲ ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἐθέλεις.., εἶμι Pl. Prt. 335c; ἐπειδὴ τὸ χωρίον οὐχ ἡλίσκετο Th. 1.102; νηπιάχοις οἷς οὔ τι μέλει πολεμήϊα ἔργα Il. 2.338, etc.: in causal relative sentences, οἵτινές σε οὐχὶ ἐσώσαμεν Pl. Cri. 46a; esp. in the combinations, οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις οὐ.., as οὐκ ἔστ' ἐραστὴς ὅστις οὐκ ἀεὶ φιλεῖ E. Tr. 1051, cf. Hec. 298; οὔτις ἔσθ' ὃς οὔ S. Aj. 725; οὐδείς ἐστιν ὅστις οὐ.. Isoc. 15.180. after ὥστε with ind. or opt. with ἄν, ὥστ' οὐ δυνατόν σ' εἵργειν ἔσται Ar. V. 384, cf. S. Aj. 98, OT 411; οὕτως αὐτοὺς ἀγαπῶμεν.. ὥστε.. οὐκ ἂν ἐθελήσαιμεν Isoc. 8.45; οὐκ ἂν ὡρκίζομεν αὐτὸν ὥστε τῆς εἰρήνης ἂν διημαρτήκει καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἀμφότερ' εἶχε D. 18.30: ὥστε οὐ with inf. is almost invariably due to orat. obliq., ὥστ' οὐκ αἰσχύνεσθαι (for οὐκ αἰσχύνονται) Id. 19.308, cf. Th. 5.40, 8.76, Lys. 18.6, Isa 11.27 (cj. Reiske). — Rarely not in orat. obliq., S. El. 780, E. Ph. 1358, Hel. 108, D. 53.2, 9.48.

7. in a conditional clause μή is necessary, except, in Hom., when the εἰ clause precedes the apodosis and the verb is indic., εἰ δέ μοι οὐκ ἐπέεσσ' ἐπιπείσεται Il. 15.162, cf. 178, 20.129, 24.296, Od. 2.274, Il. 4.160, Od. 12.382, 13.144 (9.410 is an exception). when the εἰ clause is really causal, as after Verbs expressing surprise or emotion, μὴ θαυμάσῃς, εἰ πολλὰ τῶν εἰρημένων οὐ πρέπει σοι Isoc. 1.44; κατοικτῖραι.., εἰ.. οὐδεὶς ἐς ἑκατοστὸν ἔτος περιέσται Hdt. 7.46, cf. S. Aj. 1242; so also δεινὸν γὰρ ἂν εἴη πρῆγμα, εἰ Σάκας μὲν καταστρεψάμενοι δούλους ἔχομεν, Ἕλληνας δὲ οὐ τιμωρησόμεθα Hdt. 7.9, cf. And. 1.102, Lys. 20.8 (prob.), D. 8.55; οὐκ αἰσχρόν, εἰ τὸ μὲν Ἀργείων πλῆθος οὐκ ἐφοβήθη τὴν Λακεδαιμονίων ἀρχήν, ὑμεῖς δ' ὄντες Ἀθηναῖοι βάρβαρον ἄνθρωπον.. φοβήσεσθε; Id. 15.23, cf. Hdt. 5.97, Lys. 22.13. when οὐ belongs closely to the next word (v. A. I), or is quoted unchanged, εἰ, ὡς νῦν φήσει, οὐ παρεσκευάσατο D. 54.29 codd.; εἰ δ' οὐκέτ' ἐστί (sc. ὥσπερ λέγεις), τίνι τρόπῳ διεφθάρη; E. Ion 347.

8. οὐ is used with inf. in orat. obliq., when it represents the ind. of orat. recta, φαμὲν δέ οἱ οὐ τελέεσθαι Od. 4.664, cf. Il. 17.174, 21.316, S. Ph. 1389, etc.; λέγοντες οὐκ εἶναι αὐτόνομοι Th. 1.67, cf. Pl. R. 348c, X. Cyr. 1.6.18; οἶμαι.. οὐκ ὀλίγον ἔργον αὐτὸ εἶναι Pl. R. 369b, cf. S. OT 1051, Th. 1.71, etc.; ἡγήσαντο ἡμᾶς οὐ περιόψεσθαι ib. 39. (For the occasional use of μή, v. μή B. 5c; sts. we have οὐ and μή in consecutive clauses, οἶμαι σοῦ κάκιον οὐδὲν ἂν τούτων κρατύνειν μηδ' ἐπιθύνειν χερί S. Ph. 1058s q.; αὐτὸ ἡγοῦμαι οὐ διδακτὸν εἶναι μηδὲ.. παρασκευαστόν Pl. Prt. 319b.)

9. οὐ is used with the part., when it can be resolved into a finite sentence with οὐ, as after Verbs of knowing and showing, τὸν κατθανόνθ' ὁρῶντες οὐ τιμώμενον E. Hec. 316; κατενόησαν οὐ πολλοὺς τοὺς Θηβαίους ὄντας Th. 2. 3; ἔργῳ δηλώσω οὐ παραγενόμενος Antipho 2.4.8, etc.; or into a causal sentence, τῶν βαρβάρων οἱ πολλοὶ ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ διεφθάρησαν νέειν οὐκ ἐπιστάμενοι Hdt. 8.89; τὴν Μένδην πόλιν ἅτε οὐκ ἀπὸ ξυμβάσεως ἀνοιχθεῖσαν διήρπασαν Th. 4.130; or into a concessive sentence, δόξω γυναῖκα καίπερ οὐκ ἔχων ἔχειν E. Alc. 352, cf. S. Ph. 377, etc.: regularly with ὡς and part., ὡς οὐχὶ συνδράσουσα νουθετεῖς τάδε Id. El. 1025, etc.; ἐθορυβεῖτε ὡς οὐ ποιήσοντες ταῦτα Lys. 12.73, cf. S. Ph. 884, Aj. 682, Hdt. 7.99, Th. 1.2, 5, 28, 68, 90; ὥσπερ οὐ πάντας τούτῳ τῷ τεκμηρίῳ χρωμένους Lycurg. 90, cf. Th. 8.1, Isoc. 4.11: — for exceptions, v. μή B. 6. when the part. is used with the Art., μή is generally used, unless there is a distinct reference to a fact, when οὐ is occasionally found, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς οὐκ οὔσης ἔτι [πόλεως] ὁρμώμενοι Th. 1.74; τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει οὐδὲν εἰδότας Id. 4.111; οἱ οὐκ ἐθέλοντες Antipho 6.26; τῶν οὐ βουλομένων And. 1.9; τοὺς οὐδὲν ἀδικοῦντας ἀκρίτους ἀπέκτειναν Lys. 12.82, cf. τὸν οὐδὲ συμπενθῆσαι τὰς τῆς πατρίδος συμφορὰς τολμήσαντα (preceded by τὸν.. μήτε ὅπλα θέμενον ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος μήτε τὸ σῶμα παρασχόντα κτλ.) Lycurg. 43; τὸ οὐχ εὑρημένον Pl. R. 427e.

10. Adjectives and abstract Substantives with the article commonly take μή (v. μή B. 7) but οὐ is occasionally used, τὰς οὐκ ἀναγκαίας πόσεις X. Lac. 5.4; τοὺς οὐδένας E. IA 371; τὸν οὐδέν Id. Ph. 598 (whereas ὁ μηδείς, τὸ μηδέν is the rule); τὴν τῶν γεφυρῶν οὐ διάλυσιν the non - dissolution of the bridges, the fact of their not being broken up, Th. 1.137; ἡ οὐ περιτείχισις Id. 3.95; ἡ τῶν χωρίων οὐκ ἀπόδοσις Id. 5.35, cf. E. Hipp. 196 (anap.); so without the article, ἐν οὐ καιπῷ Id. Ba. 1287; οὐ πάλης ὕπο ib. 455.

11. for οὐ μή, v. sub voc.

12. in questions οὐ ordinarily expects a positive answer, οὔ νυ καὶ ἄλλοι ἔασι..; Il. 10.165; οὐχ ὁράᾳς..; dost thou not see? Od. 17.545; οὐκ.. ᾐσθόμην; A. Pr. 956: so as a strong form of imper., οὐκ ἀπαλλάξει; E. Ion 524; οὐκ ἀποκτενεῖτε τὸν μιαρὸν τοῦτον ἄνθρωπον; Din. 1.18; οὐκ εἶ καταπιὼν Εὐριπίδην; Ar. Ach. 484; βάλλε, βάλλε folld. by οὐ βαλεῖς; οὐ βαλεῖς; ib. 281 and 283, cf. S. Ant. 885: also with opt. and ἄν, οὐκ ἂν δὴ τόνδ' ἄνδρα μάχης ἐρύσαιο (= ἔρυσαι); Il. 5.456; οὐκ ἂν φράσειας (= φράσον); S. Ph. 1222; but in questions introduced by οὐ δή, οὐ δή του, οὔ που, οὔ τί που, a doubt is implied of the statement involved, and an appeal is made to the hearers, οὐ δή ποθ' ἡμῖν ξυγγενὴς ἥκεις ποθέν; surely you are not..? Id. El. 1202, cf. Ph. 900; οὔ τί που οὗτος Ἀπόλλων..; Pi. P. 4.87, cf. S. Ph. 1233, E. IA 670, Hel. 135, Ion 1113, Ar. Ra. 522, 526.

POSITION. οὐ is generally put immediately before the word which it negatives, οὐκ ἐκεῖνον ἐθεώμην. — ἀλλὰ τίνα μήν ; ἔφη ὁ Τιγράνης X. Cyr. 3.1.41; οὐχ αἱ τρίχες ποιοῦσιν αἱ λευκαὶ φρονεῖν Men. 639; οὐ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀκοντίζειν οὐκ ἔβαλον αὐτὸν ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μηδενὶ ὑπὸ τὸ ἀκόντιον ὑπελθεῖν Antipho 3.4.6: in Poetry the position is freq. more free, κίνδυνος ἄναλκιν οὐ φῶτα λαμβάνει Pi. O. 1.81; οὐ ψεύδεϊ τέγξω λόγον ib. 4.19; κατακρύπτει δ' οὐ κόνις ib. 8.79; χρὴ πρὸς θεὸν οὐκ ἐρίζειν Id. P. 2.88: sts. emphatically at the end of the clause, καὶ τοὶ γὰρ αἰθοίσας ἔχοντες σπέρμ' ἀνέβαν φλογὸς οὔ Id. O. 7.48; ταρβήσει γὰρ οὔ S. Aj. 545: in clauses opposed by μέν and δέ the οὐ (or μή) is freq. placed at the end, βούλονται μέν, δύνανται δ' οὔ Th. 6.38; οὗτος δ' ἦν καλὸς μέν, μέγας δ' οὔ X. An. 4.4.3; ἔδοξέ μοι ὁ ἀνὴρ δοκεῖν μὲν εἶναι σοφὸς.., εἶναι δ' οὔ Pl. Revelation 21:1-27 c; so τὸ Πέρσας μὲν λέληθε, ἡμέας μέντοι οὔ Hdt. 1.139: freq. with ὁ μὲν.. ὁ δέ, οὐ πάσας χρὴ τὰς δόξας τιμᾶν, ἀλλὰ τὰς μέν, τὰς δ' οὔ Pl. Cri. 47a, cf. Ap. 24e, R. 475b, etc.; Λέριοι κακοί, οὐχ ὁ μέν, ὃς δ' οὔ Phoc. 1: sts. in the first clause after μέν, οἱ δὲ στρατηγοὶ ἐξῆγον μὲν οὔ, συνεκάλεσαν δέ X. An. 6.4.20, cf. 4.8.2, Cyr. 1.4.10, Pl. Phd. 73b; κατώρα πᾶν μὲν οὒ τὸ στρατόπεδον Hdt. 7.208.

ACCUMULATION.

1 A simple neg. (οὐ or μή) is freq. repeated in composition with Prons., Advbs., or Conjs., as οὐδείς or μηδείς, οὐδέ or μηδέ, οὐδαμῶς or μηδαμῶς, first in Hom., οὔ μιν ὁΐομαιοὐδὲ πεπύσθαι λυγρῆς ἀγγελίης Il. 17.641; ἀλλ' οὔ μοι Τρώων τόσσον μέλει ἄλγος ὀπίσσω οὔτ' αὐτῆς Ἑκάβης οὔτε Πριάμοιο ἄνακτος 6.450; οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν κρεῖσσον οἰκείου φίλου E. Andr. 986: the first neg. may be a compd., καθεύδων οὐδεὶς οὐδενὸς ἄξιος οὐδὲν μᾶλλον τοῦ μὴ ζῶντος Pl. Lg. 808b; οὐδενὶ οὐδαμῇ οὐδαμῶς οὐδεμίαν κοινωνίαν ἔχει Id. Prm. 166a (similarly with μή, Phdr. 236e): or a neg. Adj., ἀδύνατος οὐδὲν ἄλλο πλὴν λέγειν μάτην E. Andr. 746; οὐ follows the compd. neg., οὐδ' εἰ πάντες ἔλθοιεν Πέρσαι, πλήθει γε οὐχ ὑπερβαλοίμεθ' ἂν τοὺς πολεμίους X. Cyr. 2.1.8; οὐδ' ἂν ἡ πόλις ἄρα (ὅπερ ἄρτι ἐλέγομεν) ὅλη τοιοῦτον ποιῇ, οὐκ ἐπαινέσῃ Pl. R. 426b, cf. Smp. 204a: sts. a confirmative Particle accompanies the first οὐ or οὐδέ, and the neg. is repeated with emphasis, οὐδὲ μὲν οὐδέ μ' ἔασκες Il. 19.295; οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ Δρύαντος υἱὸς.. δὴν ἧν 6.130, v. οὐδέ C. 11; οὐ μέντοι οὐδὲ αὖ ὡς σύ μοι δοκεῖς οἴεσθαι Pl. Prt. 332a: so also in Trag. and Att. without any such Particle, οὐ σμικρός, οὔχ, ἁγὼν ὅδε not small, no, is this struggle, S. OC 587; θεοῖς τέθνηκεν οὗτος, οὐ κείνοισιν, οὔ Id. Aj. 970, cf. Ar. Ra. 28, 1308, X. Smp. 2.4, Pl. R. 390c.

2. when the compd. neg. precedes and the simple neg. follows with the Verb, the opposing negs. produce an emphatic positive, οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων ἀδικῶν τίσιν οὐκ ἀποτείσει Orac. ap. Hdt. 5.56; γλώσσης κρυφαῖον οὐδὲν οὐ διέρχεται S. Fr. 935 (but prob. f.l.); οὐδεὶς οὐκ ἔπασχέ τι X. Smp. 1.9.

3. similarly each of two simple negs. may retain its negating force, ὥσπερ οὐ διὰ πρᾳότητα καὶ ἀσχολίαν τὴν ὑμετέραν οὐ δεδωκὼς ὑμῖν δίκην Lys. 6.34; ἐγὼ δ' οὐκ οἶμαι.. οὐ δεῖν ὑμᾶς ἀμύνεσθαι Id. 13.52 (similarly with μή, D. 19.77): sts. a combination of a μέν -clause with a δέ -clause containing οὐ is negatived as a whole by a preceding οὐ, e.g. οὐ γὰρ δήπου Κτησιφῶντα μὲν δύναται διώκειν δι' ἐμέ, ἐμὲ δέ, εἴπερ ἐξελέγξειν ἐνόμιζεν, αὐτὸν οὐκ ἂν ἐγράψατο Id. 18.13.

PLEONASM OF οὐ: after Verbs of denying, doubting, and disputing, folld. by ὡς or ὅτι with a finite Verb, οὐ is inserted to show the neg. character of the statement, where in Engl. the neg. is not required, ὡς μὲν οὐκ ἀληθῆ ταῦτ' ἐστὶν οὐκ ἔχετ' ἀντιλέγειν D. 8.31, cf. Th. 1.77, X. HG 2.3.16, Smp. 2.12, Isoc. 5.57, etc.; οὐδεὶς ἂν τολμήσειεν ἀντειπεῖν ὡς οὐ τὴν μὲν ἐμπειρίαν μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων ἔχομεν Id. 6.48, cf. And. 4.34, D. 16.4, etc.; οὐκ ἂν ἀρνηθεῖεν ἔνιοι ὡς οὐκ εἰσὶ τοιοῦτοι Id. 9.54; ἀρνεῖσθαι ὅτι οὐ παρῆν X. Ath. 2.17; οὐδ' αὐτὸς ὁ Λάμπις ἔξαρνος ἐγένετο