Learn Greek › B1 › αμάν
αμάν
oh no /aˈman/
particleB1#1490 most common
Also: mercy!, for heaven's sake, enough already
Example sentences
Αμάν, τι ζέστη!
Oh no, what heat!
Αμάν πια, σταμάτα!
Enough already, stop!
Αμάν, ξέχασα τα κλειδιά μου στο σπίτι.
Oh no, I forgot my keys at home.
Αμάν βρε παιδί μου, άσε με ήσυχο.
Come on, kid, leave me alone.
Αμάν πια με αυτή τη φασαρία, δεν αντέχω άλλο.
For heaven's sake, I can't stand this noise any longer.
«Αμάν, Θεέ μου, λυπήσου με», αναστέναξε ο γέρος κοιτώντας τον ουρανό.
'Mercy, my God, have pity on me,' the old man sighed, looking at the sky.
Word family
αμανέςa melancholic style of Ottoman-Greek folk singing, often improvised
αμανετζήςa singer of amanedes
αμανάτιa pledge or deposit held as security (same Arabic root)
αμάν-αμάνreduplicated, intensified cry of distress
Etymology
Αμάν entered Greek from Ottoman Turkish aman during centuries of Ottoman rule in the Balkans and Asia Minor. The Turkish word itself comes from Arabic amān, meaning safety or protection, a term also used to beg for mercy or a truce. In Greek it lost its literal sense and became a pure exclamation of distress, exasperation, or pleading.
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