zꜣ-tꜣ

Egyptian

Etymology 1

zꜣ (“protection”) +‎ tꜣ (“earth”) in a direct genitive construction, thus literally ‘protection of the earth’, referring to prostration on the ground.

Pronunciation

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /zɑ tɑ/
  • Conventional anglicization: za-ta

Noun

 m

1. homage

Etymology 2

zꜣ (“son”) +‎ tꜣ (“earth”) in a direct genitive construction, thus literally ‘son of the earth’.

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ˈziʀtaʀ/ → /ˈsiʀtaʀ/ → /ˈsiːtə/ → /siːt/

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

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /zɑ tɑ/
  • Conventional anglicization: za-ta

Noun

 m

1. snake

Descendants

• Demotic: syṱ
  • Coptic: ⲥⲓⲧ (sit)

References

• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 387.