wꜥ

Egyptian

Egyptian numbers ^(edit)

		10
	←  0	𓏺 1	2  →	10  →
Cardinal: wꜥ     Ordinal: tpj, ḥꜣtj     Adverbial: zp wꜥ     Distributive: wꜥ wꜥ

Etymology

Formed as if the

perfective active participle of wꜥj (“to be(come) alone”), although possibly the verb may also be derived from the numeral.

Pronunciation 1

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ˈwiʕjVw/ → /ˈwiʕjVw/ → /ˈwiʕjə/ → /ˈweʕi/

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

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /wɑː/
  • Conventional anglicization: wa

Adjective

1. alone
2. unique
3. as one, all together

Inflection

Declension of wꜥ (perfective active participle)

	masculine	feminine
singular	wꜥ	wꜥt
dual	—	—
plural	—	—

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of wꜥ  

wꜥ	wꜥ

Derived terms

• wꜥꜥw (“private”)
• wꜥ m
• wꜥ n
• wꜥ nb (“everyone”)
• wꜥtj^? (“captive”)
• wꜥtj (“sole”)
• nb-wꜥ

 

Related terms

• wꜥj (“be alone”)

Numeral

1. one

Usage notes

As the numeral wꜥ is in fact a specialized use of the adjective, see the adjective section above for alternative forms, inflection, etc.

Descendants

• Demotic: wꜥ
  • Akhmimic Coptic: ⲟⲩⲉ (oue), (interrogative) ⲱ (ō), (interrogative) ⲟ (o)
  • Bohairic Coptic: ⲟⲩⲁⲓ (ouai), (interrogative) ⲟⲩ (ou)
  • Fayyumic Coptic: ⲟⲩⲉⲉⲓ (oueei), ⲟⲩⲉ (oue), ⲟⲩⲁⲓⲉⲓ (ouaiei), (interrogative) ⲟⲩⲛ (oun)
  • Lycopolitan Coptic: ⲟⲩⲉⲉⲓ (oueei), ⲟⲩⲉⲓ (ouei), ⲟⲩⲉⲉ (ouee), ⲟⲩⲉ (oue), (interrogative) ⲉⲩ (eu)
  • Old Coptic: ⲟⲩⲉ (oue), ⲟⲩⲁⲓ (ouai), (interrogative) ⲟⲩ (ou)
  • Coptic Dialect P: ⲟⲩⲓ̈ (ouï)
  • Sahidic Coptic: ⲟⲩⲁ (oua), (interrogative) ⲟⲩ (ou)

Pronunciation 2

• (reconstructed Late Egyptian) IPA^(key): /wəʕ/

Determiner

1. (Late Egyptian) the singular indefinite article; a, an

Usage notes

As an indefinite article, wꜥ precedes its noun, initially in the construction wꜥ n(j) and later by itself. This is in contrast to its use as an adjective/numeral, where it follows the modified noun like all Egyptian adjectives.

Inflection

Old Egyptian demonstratives

	determiners						pronouns1	adverbs
number	singular		dual		plural		unmarked
gender	masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine	unmarked
proximal to speaker	pn	tn, jtn	*jpnj	*jptnj	jpn	jptn	nn	—
distal	pf	tf	*jpfj	*jptfj	jpf	jptf	nf	—
proximal to spoken of	pj, pw, py, p	tj, tw, jtw	jpwj	*jptwj	jpw	jptw	nw	—
vocative	pꜣ	tꜣ	—	—	—	—	nꜣ	ꜥꜣ
Unmarked for number and gender, but treated syntactically as masculine plurals when used with participles and relative forms, and as feminine singulars when referred to by resumptive pronouns.

Middle Egyptian demonstratives

	determiners and pronouns			adverbs
number	singular		plural1
gender	masculine	feminine	unmarked
proximal	pn	tn	nn	ꜥn
distal	pf, pfꜣ	tf, tfꜣ	nf, nfꜣ	ꜥf
‘copula’; vocative	pw, pwy	tw, twy	nw	—
anaphoric	pꜣ	tꜣ	nꜣ	ꜥꜣ
Joined by n(j) to nouns they modify.

Late Egyptian demonstratives and articles

	masculine	feminine	plural		adverb
pronoun	pꜣw				dj
determiners and pronouns	pꜣj	tꜣj	nꜣj
possessive determiners (used with suffix pronouns)	pꜣy	tꜣy	nꜣy
relational pronouns (‘possessive prefixes’)	p-n, pꜣ	t-nt, tꜣ	nꜣyw, nꜣ
definite articles	pꜣ	tꜣ	nꜣ1
indefinite articles	wꜥ1		nhꜣy1
Originally joined by n(j) to nouns they modify; later without it.

Descendants

• Demotic: wꜥ
  • Coptic: ⲟⲩ- (ou-)

References

• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 102–104.
• Junge, Friedrich (2005) Late Egyptian Grammar: An Introduction, second English edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, pages 53, 68
• Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN