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 be derived from the numeral instead.

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/^[1][2]
• (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

	masculine	feminine
singular	wꜥ	wꜥt
dual	—	—
plural	—	—

Declension of wꜥ (perfective active participle)

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

	determiners						pronouns1	adverbs
number	singular		dual		plural		unmarked
gender	masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine	unmarked
proximal to speaker	pn	tn	*jpnj	jptnj, jptntj	jpn	jptn	nn	—
distal	pf	tf	*jpfj	*jptfj, *jptftj	jpf	jptf	nf	—
proximal to spoken of	pj, pw, p	tj, tw	jpwj	jptwj, jptwtj	jpw	jptw, jptwt	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.

Old 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’ and vocative	pw, pwy	tw, twy	nw	—
anaphoric	pꜣ	tꜣ	nꜣ	ꜥꜣ
Joined by n(j) to nouns they modify.

Middle Egyptian demonstratives

	masculine	feminine	plural		adverb
pronoun	pꜣw				dj
determiners and pronouns	pꜣj	tꜣj	nꜣj
possessive determiners1	pꜣy	tꜣy	nꜣy
relational pronouns (‘possessive prefixes’)	p-n, pꜣ	t-nt, tꜣ	nꜣyw, nꜣ
definite articles	pꜣ	tꜣ	nꜣ2
indefinite articles	wꜥ2		nhꜣy2
Used with suffix pronouns. Originally joined by n(j) to nouns they modify; later without it.

Late Egyptian demonstratives and articles

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

1. Callender, John (1975) Middle Egyptian, Undena Publications, page 56: “wíꜥjaw”
2. Edel, Elmar (1961) “Neues Material zur Herkunft der auslautenden Vokale -ⲉ und -ⲓ im Koptischen”, in Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde, volume 86, number 1, →DOI: “wĭꜥj˘w”