bꜣ

Egyptian

Pronunciation

Noun 1:

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /biʀ/ → /biʀ/ → /bej/ → /βej/

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

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /bɑ/
  • Conventional anglicization: ba

Etymology 1

Noun

 m

1. working power, active power, efficacy in acting on and influencing the external world and enforcing order, especially as possessed by a god
2. god, seen as possessed of such power
3. (by extension) the dead, seen as possessed of such power and needing offerings to sustain it; efficacious soul, ba

Usage notes

In the earliest times, this term only appears in reference to gods and the qualities they possess. In the course of the Old Kingdom, it begins to be applied to kings, and around the end of the Old Kingdom finally starts to appear with reference to non-royal individuals.

Inflection

Declension of bꜣ (masculine)

singular	bꜣ
dual	bꜣwj
plural	bꜣw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of bꜣ  

bꜣ	bꜣ	bꜣ

Derived terms

• bꜣw
• ḫꜥ-bꜣ

Descendants

• Old Coptic: ⲃⲁⲓ (bai)

Etymology 2

Noun

 m

1. ram

Inflection

Declension of bꜣ (masculine)

singular	bꜣ
dual	bꜣwj
plural	bꜣw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of bꜣ  

bꜣ	bꜣ

Descendants

From bꜣ ꜥꜣ nj pt (literally “he-goat of heaven”):

• ⇒ Demotic: bj-ꜥꜣ-n-pt (“he-goat”)
  • Sahidic Coptic: ⲃⲁⲁⲙⲡⲉ (baampe)

Etymology 3

Noun

 m

1. leopard

Inflection

Declension of bꜣ (masculine)

singular	bꜣ
dual	bꜣwj
plural	bꜣw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of bꜣ  

bꜣ

Related terms

• ꜣby

Noun

 m

1. leopard skin

Inflection

Declension of bꜣ (masculine)

singular	bꜣ
dual	bꜣwj
plural	bꜣw

Etymology 4

Verb

 2-lit.

1. (intransitive) to be(come) an animate, efficacious soul, to possess a ba or ba-power

Inflection

Conjugation of bꜣ (biliteral / 2-lit. / 2rad.) — base stem: bꜣ, geminated stem: bꜣꜣ

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive1	singular	plural
bꜣ	bꜣw, bꜣ	bꜣt	bꜣ, j.bꜣ	bꜣ, j.bꜣ

‘pseudoverbal’ forms
stative stem	periphrastic imperfective2		periphrastic prospective2
bꜣ	ḥr bꜣ	m bꜣ	r bꜣ

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	contingent
		aspect / mood	active
perfect	bꜣ.n	consecutive	bꜣ.jn
terminative	bꜣt
perfective3	bꜣ	obligative1	bꜣ.ḫr
imperfective	bꜣ, j.bꜣ1
prospective3	bꜣ	potentialis1	bꜣ.kꜣ
subjunctive	bꜣ, j.bꜣ1

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms	participles
	active	active	passive
perfect	bꜣ.n	—	—
perfective	bꜣ	bꜣ	bꜣꜣ, bꜣꜣj6, bꜣ2, bꜣw2 5, bꜣy2 5
imperfective	j.bꜣ1, bꜣ, bꜣy, bꜣw5	j.bꜣ1, j.bꜣw1 5, bꜣ, bꜣj6, bꜣy6	bꜣ, bꜣw5
prospective	bꜣ, bꜣtj7	bꜣtj4, bꜣt4
Used in Old Egyptian; archaic by Middle Egyptian. Used mostly since Middle Egyptian. Archaic or greatly restricted in usage by Middle Egyptian. The perfect has mostly taken over the functions of the perfective, and the subjunctive and periphrastic prospective have mostly replaced the prospective. Declines using third-person suffix pronouns instead of adjectival endings: masculine .f/.fj, feminine .s/.sj, dual .sn/.snj, plural .sn. Only in the masculine singular. Only in the masculine. Only in the feminine.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of bꜣ  

bꜣ

See also

• 𓅡

Etymology 5

Perhaps from root consonants b-l.

Verb

 2-lit.

1. (transitive) dig up earth, hoe
2. (transitive) destroy

Inflection

Conjugation of bꜣ (biliteral / 2-lit. / 2rad.) — base stem: bꜣ, geminated stem: bꜣꜣ

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive1	singular	plural
bꜣ	bꜣw, bꜣ	bꜣt	bꜣ, j.bꜣ	bꜣ, j.bꜣ

‘pseudoverbal’ forms
stative stem	periphrastic imperfective2		periphrastic prospective2
bꜣ	ḥr bꜣ	m bꜣ	r bꜣ

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	passive	contingent
			aspect / mood	active	passive
perfect	bꜣ.n	bꜣw, bꜣ	consecutive	bꜣ.jn	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
terminative	bꜣt
perfective3	bꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2	obligative1	bꜣ.ḫr	active + .tj1, .tw2
imperfective	bꜣ, j.bꜣ1	active + .tj1, .tw2
prospective3	bꜣ	bꜣꜣ	potentialis1	bꜣ.kꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
subjunctive	bꜣ, j.bꜣ1	active + .tj1, .tw2

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms		participles
	active	passive	active	passive
perfect	bꜣ.n	active + .tj1, .tw2	—	—
perfective	bꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2	bꜣ	bꜣꜣ, bꜣꜣj6, bꜣ2, bꜣw2 5, bꜣy2 5
imperfective	j.bꜣ1, bꜣ, bꜣy, bꜣw5	active + .tj1, .tw2	j.bꜣ1, j.bꜣw1 5, bꜣ, bꜣj6, bꜣy6	bꜣ, bꜣw5
prospective	bꜣ, bꜣtj7	—	bꜣtj4, bꜣt4
Used in Old Egyptian; archaic by Middle Egyptian. Used mostly since Middle Egyptian. Archaic or greatly restricted in usage by Middle Egyptian. The perfect has mostly taken over the functions of the perfective, and the subjunctive and periphrastic prospective have mostly replaced the prospective. Declines using third-person suffix pronouns instead of adjectival endings: masculine .f/.fj, feminine .s/.sj, dual .sn/.snj, plural .sn. Only in the masculine singular. Only in the masculine. Only in the feminine.

Related terms

• brbr "to dig"
• ⲃⲟⲗⲃⲗ (bolbl) "to dig up"

References

• Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN
• van Sittert, Bianca (2020) “Maintaining Order over Chaos”: A study of the ba and baw concepts in the Predynastic Period, Early Dynastic Period, and Old Kingdom [Master’s Thesis, the American University in Cairo]. AUC Knowledge Fountain.
• Žabkar, L. V. (1968) A study of the Ba concept in ancient Egyptian texts. Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization 34. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• Wolf-Brinkmann, E. M. (1968) Versuch einer Deutung des Begriffes ‘bA’ anhand der Überlieferung der Frühzeit und des Alten Reiches, Freiburg i. Br.: G. Seeger