μηδείς

μηδείς, μηδεμίᾰ, μηδέν (i.e. μηδὲ εἷς, μηδὲ μία, μηδὲ ἕν): fem. μηδὲ ἴα or μηδεΐα (or -έϊα) IG12(2).6.12 (Mytil.):—

A not one, not even one, nobody (in neut. nothing), once in Hom. (who elsewh. uses μή τις, v. μήτις)

, ἀναίνετο μηδὲν ἑλέσθαι Il.18.500

;

μή πως . . μηδὲν ἀνύσσῃς Hes.Op.395

;

μηδὲν ἄγαν Pi.Fr.216

, etc.: rare in pl. (μηδαμοί being used in [dialect] Ion.),

μηδένες ἄλλοι X.HG5.4.20

;

μηδένας Pl.Euthd.303c

.

2 μηδὲ εἷς (so written) is found in [dialect] Att. Inscrr., as IG12.114.41, 22.487.9 (μηδ' hενί ib.12.73.6), but is used esp. in an emphatic sense, not even one,

μηδὲ ἕν Ar.Pl.37

: freq. with an intervening Particle or Prep.,

μηδ' ἂν ἕνα Pl.Cra.414d

;

μηδ' ἐν ἑνὶ χρόνῳ Id.Prm.156c

;

μηδ' ἐξ ἑνός Id.Phdr.245d

;

μηδ' ἐφ' ἑνί Id.R.553d

;

μηδὲ περὶ ἑνός Id.Tht.171c

; μηδ' ὑφ' ἑνός, μηδ' ὑπὸ μιᾶς, Id.Smp.222d, Alc.1.122a;

μηδὲ ὑφ' ἑνός IG12.32.8

.

II nobody, naught, good for naught,

κἄμ' ἴσον τῷ μ. S.OC918

: pl.,

οὐ γὰρ ἠξίου τοὺς μηδένας Id.Aj.1114

; μηδέν or τὸ μηδέν as Subst., naught, nothing,

κεἰ τὸ μ. ἐξερῶ Id.Ant.234

; μ. λέγειν to say what is naught, X.Cyr.8.3.20, etc.;

ἡ ἡμετέρη εὐδαιμονίη . . ἀπέρριπται ἐς τὸ μ. Hdt.1.32

;

τοῦ μηδενὸς ἀξίη Id.6.137

;

ἐπὶ μηδὲν ἔρχεσθαι S.El.1000

;

ἐς τὸ μ. ἥκειν E.Hec.622

; of persons, τὸ μ. a good-for-nothing, τὸ μ. εἶναι, of a eunuch, Hdt.8.106;

τοιγὰρ σὺ δέξαι μ' ἐς τὸ σὸν στέγος, τὴν μηδὲν ἐς τὸ μ. S.El.1166

;

κἂν τὸ μ. ὦ Id.Tr.1107

;

τὸ μ. ὄντας Id.Aj.1275

; ὁ μ. ὤν ib.767; ὅτ' οὐδὲν ὢν τοῦ μηδὲν ἀντέστης ὕπερ ib.1231, cf. 1094, E.Hec.843, etc.; ἧττον αὐτοῖς ἔνι ἢ τὸ μ., i.e. it is a mere impossibility, Pl.Tht.180a; also μ. εἶναι without the Art., Luc.Rh.Pr.2.

III neut. μηδέν as Adv., not at all, by no means,

μηδὲν ἐγκέλευ' ἄγαν A.Pr.72

, cf. 344;

μ. διαφέρειν πλὴν ὀνόματι Pl.Plt.280a

, etc.: with an Adv.,

μ. αἰνικτηρίως A.Pr. 949

: freq. with [comp] Comp., μ. μᾶλλον, ἧσσον, etc., S.Aj.280, 1329, etc.— When other negatives, also derived from μή, are used with it, they do not destroy, but strengthen the negation, μηδέποτε μηδὲν αἰσχρὸν ποιήσας ἔλπιζε λήσειν never hope to escape, when you have done anything base. Isoc.1.16; cf. μηθείς.