nfr

Egyptian edit

FWOTD – 13 January 2016

Etymology edit

Possibly from Proto-Afroasiatic *fir- (“to be good”) with an additional *nV- prefix.^[1] Compare also Tamahaq ⵉⴼⵔⴰⵔ (ifrar, “best”) and Saho feer (“good”).

Pronunciation edit

(adjective): (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ˈnaːfiɾ/ → /ˈnaːfiʔ/ → /ˈnaːfa/ → /ˈnoːfə/

(modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /nɛfɛr/
- Conventional anglicization: nefer

Verb edit

3-lit.

(intransitive) to be(come) of superior or admirable quality, to be(come) fine, good, or wonderful

12th Dynasty, coffin of Nakhtankh, British Museum EA 35285:

[…] qrst nfrt m jz.f nfr n ẖrt-nṯr […]

[…] a good burial in his wonderful tomb of the necropolis […]

(intransitive) to be(come) pleasant or gratifying to the senses
1. (intransitive) to be(come) beautiful or fair, to look good
2. (intransitive, of scents and flowers) to smell good
3. (intransitive, of food and drinks) to taste good
(intransitive, of periods of time) to be(come) pleasant or enjoyable to live through
(intransitive, of people) to acquire or have good or pleasant qualities, to be capable, agreeable, or benevolent
(intransitive, of work) to be done well or competently
(intransitive, of medicine) to be(come) effective
(intransitive, of names) to acquire or have a good reputation

Inflection edit

Conjugation of nfr (triliteral / 3-lit. / 3rad.) — base stem: nfr, geminated stem: nfrr

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive¹	singular	plural
nfr	nfrw, nfr	nfrt	nfr	nfr

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

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	contingent
aspect / mood	active	aspect / mood	active
perfect	nfr.n	consecutive	nfr.jn
terminative	nfrt	consecutive	nfr.jn
perfective³	nfr	obligative¹	nfr.ḫr
imperfective	nfr	obligative¹	nfr.ḫr
prospective³	nfr	potentialis¹	nfr.kꜣ
subjunctive	nfr	potentialis¹	nfr.kꜣ

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms	participles
aspect / mood	active	active	passive
perfect	nfr.n	—	—
perfective	nfr	nfr	nfr, nfrw⁵, nfry⁵
imperfective	nfr, nfry, nfrw⁵	nfr, nfrj⁶, nfry⁶	nfr, nfrw⁵
prospective	nfr, nfrtj⁷	nfrtj⁴, nfrt⁴
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 edit

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of nfr

nfr

Derived terms edit

Adjective edit

perfective active participle of nfr: fine, beautiful, pleasant, etc.

Inflection edit

Declension of nfr (perfective active participle)

	masculine	feminine
singular	nfr	nfrt
dual	nfrwj	nfrtj
plural	nfrw	nfrwt¹, nfrt²
Archaic in Middle Egyptian when modifying a noun. From Middle Egyptian, this feminine singular form was generally used for the plural. In Late Egyptian, the masculine singular form was used with all nouns.

Along with bjn and ꜥꜣ, nfr is one of the few Egyptian adjectives that continued to show remnants of gender and number inflection into Late Egyptian (and beyond).^[3]

Alternative forms edit

See the ‘Alternative forms’ section under the verb above.

Derived terms edit

See the ‘Derived terms’ under the verb above.

Descendants edit

Demotic: nfr
- Coptic: ⲛⲟⲩϥⲉ (noufe) (Sahidic, Akhmimic), ⲛⲟⲩϥⲓ (noufi) (Bohairic, Fayyumic)

Noun edit

m

fine or good person
(with following genitive) benefactor (of someone), welldoer
(with following plural genitive) the best (person) among…, the best one of…

Inflection edit

Declension of nfr (masculine)

singular	nfr
dual	nfrwj
plural	nfrw

Alternative forms edit

See the ‘Alternative forms’ section under the verb above.

Noun edit

m

good, goodness, pleasingness (in opposition to bjn)
good qualities or deeds (of a person)
something fine, good, beautiful, pleasing

Alternative forms edit

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of nfr

nfr

[New Kingdom]

Interjection edit

good, sure, fine
correct, that’s right

Adverb edit

well

Alternative forms edit

See the ‘Alternative forms’ section under the verb above.

Particle edit

proclitic

not even, not at all

Usage notes edit

In Middle Egyptian, this particle is found only in the constructions nfr pw, nfr n, and nfr ꜣ.

Alternative forms edit

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of nfr

nfr

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

nfrw (“depletion, deficiency, zero”)

References edit

Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1928) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache‎^[1], volume 2, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 253.1–256.15, 257.12–257.15, 258.11–258.17
James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 94–95, 194–195.
Hoch, James (1997) Middle Egyptian Grammar, Mississauga: Benben Publications, →ISBN, page 42

^ Orel, Vladimir E., Stolbova, Olga V. (1995) “*fir-”, in Hamito-Semitic Etymological Dictionary: Materials for a Reconstruction (Handbuch der Orientalistik; I.18), Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Loprieno, Antonio (1995) Ancient Egyptian: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 39, 56
^ Junge, Friedrich (2005) Late Egyptian Grammar: An Introduction, second English edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, page 66

[1] Orel, Vladimir E., Stolbova, Olga V. (1995) “*fir-”, in Hamito-Semitic Etymological Dictionary: Materials for a Reconstruction (Handbuch der Orientalistik; I.18), Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill

[Loprieno-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Loprieno, Antonio (1995) Ancient Egyptian: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 39, 56

[3] Junge, Friedrich (2005) Late Egyptian Grammar: An Introduction, second English edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, page 66

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