Egyptian

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Etymology

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nqꜥ (to scratch) +‎ -wt. Sycamore figs were scraped or gashed in order to make them ripen more quickly; otherwise, they would be full of insects and inedible by the time they ripened.[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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n
q
a
wtD51
N33C
Z2ss

 m

  1. (uncountable) ripe sycamore figs
    • c. 2000 BCE – 1900 BCE, Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor (pHermitage/pPetersburg 1115) lines 49–50:
      kAwN33C
      Z2
      imHn
      a
      n
      q
      w&&t N33C
      Z2
      O43p
      t
      N33C
      Z2
      miiirts
      kꜣw jm ḥnꜥ nq(ꜥ)wt sšpt mj jr.t(w).s
      Unripe sycamore figs were there along with ripe ones, and muskmelons as if cultivated.

Alternative forms

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Descendants

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  • Coptic: ⲉⲗⲕⲱ (elkō)

References

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  1. ^ Galil, J. (1967) “An Ancient Technique for Ripening Sycomore Fruit in East Mediterranean Countries”