ḥr

See also: Appendix:Variations of "hr"

Egyptian

Etymology 1

Possibly cognate with Proto-Semitic *ʕal-; compare Arabic عَلَى (ʕalā, “on, over”), Hebrew עַל (ʿal, “on”), Aramaic עַל (ʿal, “on”). If so, perhaps from a form such as Proto-Afroasiatic *x̣al. However, some authors consider such a correspondence irregular.

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ħaɾ/ → /ħaʔ/ → /ħaʔ/ → /ħaʔ/

• (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA^(key): /ħaɾ/
• (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA^(key): /ħaʔ/
• (Amarna-period Late Egyptian, c. 1350 BCE) IPA^(key): /ħaʔ/
• (latest Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) IPA^(key): /ħaʔ/

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /hɛr/
  • Conventional anglicization: her

Noun

 m

1. face (of a person or animal)
2. facial expression
3. sight, scope of vision
4. front surface (of a building, door, etc.)
5. bow (of a ship)

Inflection

Declension of ḥr (masculine)

singular	ḥr
dual	ḥrwj
plural	ḥrw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ḥr  

ḥr	ḥr
	[New Kingdom]
	before suffix pronouns

Derived terms

• jꜥj ḥr
• jꜥ-ḥr
• m ḥr
• mdwt m ḥr
• rḏj m ḥr
• ḥbs ḥr r
• ḥr-nb
• ḥtp-ḥr.s
• ḥḏ ḥr
• ḫft ḥr
• ẖr st ḥr

 

Descendants

• Demotic: ḥr
  • Coptic: ϩⲟ (ho), ϩⲁ (ha), ϩⲱ (hō)

Preposition

1. upon, on, on top of
2. onto, on (with motion)
3. in, on (a vehicle, boat, etc.)
4. at, in (a place)
5. to, upon (a side)
6. in (water)
7. in, for (some duration of time)
8. at (some time)
9. and, in addition to
10. per, for each
11. from, originating from (a place)
12. because of, for the sake of
13. by means of, using
14. marked with, under (someone’s name or seal)
15. (with following infinitive) forms the periphrastic imperfective of a verb
16. (contracted from ḥr ḏd) saying; introduces a direct quotation

Usage notes

Conjunction is usually expressed by directly juxtaposing two nouns, but occasionally ḥnꜥ or ḥr are used to link the nouns instead. The latter (ḥr) may represent a somewhat closer coordination than the former (ḥnꜥ).

In Late Egyptian texts, this preposition is often omitted where expected or found erroneously written where unneeded.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ḥr  

ḥr	ḥr	ḥr	ḥrr	ḥrḥr	jḥ
		[New Kingdom]	[New Kingdom]	[Late Egyptian]	[Late Period]
especially before suffix pronouns		in hieratic	in hieratic	before suffix pronouns

Derived terms

• j.nḏ ḥr
• wpw ḥr
• nḏt-ḥr
• ḥrj (“one upon/above, boss”)
• ḥr jwtt
• ḥr jb (“amidst”)
• ḥr jb n
• ḥr ꜥ
• ḥr ꜥwj
• ḥrw (“top”)
• ḥr mj
• ḥr ntt
• ḥr-ḫw (“exclusively unique, beside, except”)
• ḥr zj jšst
• ḥr sꜣ
• ḥrt (“sky, above”)
• ḥrt jb (“inner sanctum”)
• ḥr tp (“on behalf of”)
• kꜣ-ḥr-kꜣ

 

Descendants

• Coptic: ϩⲓ- (hi-)

Also as part of:

• ⇒ Coptic: ⲭⲟⲓⲁⲕ (khoiak)

See also

• 𓁷

Etymology 2

According to Loprieno, formed from a stem ḥaru- + the Proto-Afroasiatic nominative case marker *-u; in Egyptian, Proto-Afroasiatic case markers were generally lost, but *-u became a glide -w instead when the stem ended in a vowel. The stem is probably related either to the preposition ḥr (“above”), with the theonym thus meaning ‘the One Above’, or to the verb ḥrj (“to be distant”), with the theonym meaning ‘the Distant One’, or to both.

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ˈħaːɾuw/ → /ˈħaːɾuw/ → /ˈħaːɾə/ → /ˈħoːɾ/

• (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈħaːɾuw/
• (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈħaːɾuw/
• (Amarna-period Late Egyptian, c. 1350 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈħaːɾə/; compare the Akkadian transcription in Middle Babylonian 𒄩𒀀𒊏 (ḫa-a-ra)
• (latest Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈħoːɾ/; compare the Akkadian transcription in Neo-Assyrian 𒄷𒊒 (/⁠-ḫuru-⁠/)

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /hɛr/
  • Conventional anglicization: hor

Proper noun

 m

1. Horus, the falcon-headed Egyptian god of kingship [since the 1st Dynasty]
   • c. 2000 BCE – 1900 BCE, Coffin Texts, version S1P (outer coffin of Nakhti, Louvre E 11981) spell 148, lines 121–122:

     jnk ḥr ms.n ꜣst jry mkt.f m ẖnw swḥt nj ꜣd wj hh n(j) r(ꜣ).ṯn nj pḥ.n wj ḏdt.ṯn r.j

     I am Horus, born of Isis, whose protection was made within the egg: the fiery breath of your mouths will not rage against me, and what you may say against me cannot reach me.

   • c. 1550 BCE – 1295 BCE, Great Hymn to Osiris (Stela of Amenmose, Louvre C 286) lines 18–19:

     gm.n.tw ḥr ḫrw.f mꜣꜥ.w rdjw n.f jꜣwt nt (j)t.f
     pr.n.f mḏḥ.w m wḏ n(j) gbb šzp.n.f ḥqꜣt jdbwj wrrt mn.tj m tp.f

     Horus was found justified; the office of his father was given to him. He came forth wreathed at the command of Geb, having received the rulership of the Two Riverbanks (Egypt), the White Crown fixed upon his head.

2. epithet for the currently reigning (living) pharaoh
3. conventional term introducing the serekh name of most pharaohs
4. (only in the plural) one of a number of minor Horus-gods [19th Dynasty and Greco-Roman Period]

Inflection

Declension of ḥr (masculine)

singular	ḥr
dual	ḥrwj
plural	ḥrw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ḥr  

ḥr	ḥr	ḥr	ḥr	ḥr	ḥr	ḥrj	ḥr
				[Old Kingdom]	[Coffin Texts]	[Coffin Texts]
				chiefly as an element in personal names			occasionally

Derived terms

• mꜣꜣt-ḥr-nfrw-rꜥ (“Maathorneferure”)
• mꜣꜣt-ḥr-stẖ
• mn-kꜣw-ḥr
• mswt-ḥr
• mdw-ḥr
• rꜥ-ḥr-ꜣḫtj (“Ra-Horakhty”)
• ḥwt-ḥr (“Hathor”)
• ḥwt-ḥr-ḥrw
• ḥr-ꜣḫtj (“Horakhty”)
• ḥr-jwn-mwt.f (“Her-iunmutef (Horus, Pillar of His Mother)”)
• ḥr-wps-tꜣwj (“Her-wepes-tawy (Horus who illuminates the Two Lands)”)
• ḥr-wr (“Har-wer (Horus the Elder)”)
• ḥr-wḏꜣ
• ḥr-bḥdtj (“Heru-Behdeti (Horus of Behdet)”)
• ḥr-pꜣ-ẖrd (“Heru-pa-khered (Horus the Younger)”)
• ḥr-m-ꜣḫt (“Her-em-akhet (Horus in the Horizon)”)
• ḥr-m-ꜣḫt-ḫprj-rꜥ-tm (“Harmakhis-Khepri-Ra-Atum”)
• ḥr-m-jrtj (“Hor Merti (Horus of the Two Eyes)”)
• ḥr-m-ꜥḥ.f
• ḥr-m-pr.f
• ḥr-m-ḥꜣt (“Horemhat”)
• ḥr-nb-ꜥḥ
• ḥr-nbw (“Horus of gold”)
• ḥr-nḏ-jt.f
• ḥr-ḥrw
• ḥr ḫntj-jmntjw (“Horus Khenti-Amentiu”)
• ḥr ḫntj-jrtj (“Horkhenti Irti”)
• ḥr-zꜣ-ꜣst (“Harsiese”)
• ḥr-zmꜣ-tꜣwj (“Her-sema-tawy (Horus Uniter of the Two Lands)”)
• ḥr-kꜣ-pt (“Her-ka-pet (Horus, Bull of the Sky)”)
• ḥrt
• ḥr-dšrt (“Hor-deshret (Horus the Red)”)
• ḥr-ḏd.f (“Hordjedef”)
• ḏd-ḥr (“Djedhor”)
• ḏd-kꜣ-ḥr

 

Descendants

• Coptic: ϩⲱⲣ (hōr), (in compounds) ϩⲁⲣ- (har-)
• → Ancient Greek: Ὧρος (Hôros), (in compounds) Ἁρ- (Har-)
• → Meroitic: 𐦠𐦫 (ar /⁠ara⁠/)

See also

• 𓅃

References

• “ḥr (lemma ID 107510)”, “ḥr (lemma ID 107520)”, “Ḥr.w (lemma ID 107500)”, “Ḥr.w (lemma ID 850587)”, “Ḥr.w (lemma ID 400034)”, and “Ḥr.ww (lemma ID 858763)”, in Thesaurus Linguae Aegyptiae‎^[1], Corpus issue 18, Web app version 2.1.5, Tonio Sebastian Richter & Daniel A. Werning by order of the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften and Hans-Werner Fischer-Elfert & Peter Dils by order of the Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig, 2004–26 July 2023
• Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1929) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache‎^[2], volume 3, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 122–124.9, 125.6–127.14, 131.1–132.23
• Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, pages 173–174
• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 88, 148, 179–182, 240.