ꜣbw

Egyptian

Etymology 1

From ꜣb (“to tarry, avoid, cease”).

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ˈʀaːbaw/ → /ˈʀaːbaw/ → /ˈʔaːbə/ → /ʔoːβ/

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

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /ɑbuː/
  • Conventional anglicization: abu

Noun

 m

1. cessation (+ m: cessation of (something))

Usage notes

This word is usually negated. It is almost exclusively used

• in the negated phrases (nn ꜣbw), (nj wnt ꜣbw), (nj ḫpr ꜣbw), and in Late Egyptian (bn ꜣbw), to mean “unceasing, without end”; or
• as part of (jrj ꜣbw, “to cease”) and its infinitive (jrt ꜣbw, “cessation”), themselves often negated with nn, bn, tm, etc.

Inflection

Declension of ꜣbw (masculine)

singular	ꜣbw
dual	ꜣbwwj
plural	ꜣbww

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜣbw  

ꜣbw	ꜣb	ꜣb	ꜣb	ꜣb
[New Kingdom]	[New Kingdom]	[Greco-Roman Period]	[Greco-Roman Period]	[Greco-Roman Period]

Derived terms

• jrj ꜣbw

Etymology 2

From Proto-Afroasiatic *leb- (compare Tangale labata, Mukulu ʾelbi).

Likely related to ꜣb (“fingernail”) via the ‘ivory, tusk’ sense.

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ˈʀuːbaw/ → /ˈʀuːbaw/ → /ˈjuːbə/ → /ˈjeːβ/

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

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /ɑbuː/
  • Conventional anglicization: abu

Noun

 m

1. elephant [Old Kingdom to New Kingdom]

Inflection

Declension of ꜣbw (masculine)

singular	ꜣbw
dual	ꜣbwwj
plural	ꜣbww

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜣbw  

ꜣbw

Descendants

• →? Ancient Greek: ἐλέφας (eléphas) (see there for further descendants)

See also

• 𓃰

Noun

 m

1. elephant tusk [Since the Middle Kingdom]
2. ivory [Since the Middle Kingdom]

Inflection

Declension of ꜣbw (masculine)

singular	ꜣbw
dual	ꜣbwwj
plural	ꜣbww

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜣbw  

ꜣbw	ꜣb	ꜣb	ꜣbw	ꜣb
				[Greco-Roman Period]

Descendants

• Demotic: yb
  • → Latin: ebur
    • ⇒ Anglo-Norman: ivurie
      • → Middle English: ivorie
        • English: ivory

Proper noun

  m./f. topo.

1. Elephantine (modern Aswan)

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜣbw  

ꜣbw	ꜣbw	ꜣb	ꜣb	ꜣbw	ꜣb
[Old Kingdom]	[Old Kingdom]

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜣbw  

ꜣbw	ꜣbw	ꜣbw	ꜣb	ꜣb
				[New Kingdom]

Descendants

• → Aramaic: יב
• → Ancient Greek: Ἰηβ (Iēb)
• Demotic: yb, ybꜣ, jb, jbꜣ
  • Coptic: ⲓⲏⲃ (iēb)

Etymology 3

Related to ꜣbt (“brand”).

Verb

 3-lit.

1. (transitive) to brand (cattle or slaves) (+ m or + ḥr: to brand with (a seal or name, etc.)) [since New Kingdom literature]
2. (transitive) to scorch (the skin)

Inflection

Conjugation of ꜣbw (triliteral / 3-lit. / 3rad.) — base stem: ꜣbw

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive1	singular	plural
ꜣbw	ꜣbww, ꜣbw	ꜣbwt	ꜣbw	ꜣbw

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

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	passive	contingent
			aspect / mood	active	passive
perfect	ꜣbw.n	ꜣbww, ꜣbw	consecutive	ꜣbw.jn	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
terminative	ꜣbwt
perfective3	ꜣbw	active + .tj1, .tw2	obligative1	ꜣbw.ḫr	active + .tj1, .tw2
imperfective	ꜣbw	active + .tj1, .tw2
prospective3	ꜣbw	ꜣbw	potentialis1	ꜣbw.kꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
subjunctive	ꜣbw	active + .tj1, .tw2

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms		participles
	active	passive	active	passive
perfect	ꜣbw.n	active + .tj1, .tw2	—	—
perfective	ꜣbw	active + .tj1, .tw2	ꜣbw	ꜣbw, ꜣbww5, ꜣbwy5
imperfective	ꜣbw, ꜣbwy, ꜣbww5	active + .tj1, .tw2	ꜣbw, ꜣbwj6, ꜣbwy6	ꜣbw, ꜣbww5
prospective	ꜣbw, ꜣbwtj7	—	ꜣbwtj4, ꜣbwt4
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

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜣbw  

ꜣbw

Noun

 m

1. (Late Egyptian) brand, branding iron

Inflection

Declension of ꜣbw (masculine)

singular	ꜣbw
dual	ꜣbwwj
plural	ꜣbww

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜣbw  

ꜣb

Etymology 4

Noun

 m

1. (medicine) a substance used medicinally

Inflection

Declension of ꜣbw (masculine)

singular	ꜣbw
dual	ꜣbwwj
plural	ꜣbww

References

• Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, page 2
• Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1926) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache‎^[1], volume 1, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 6.9–6.23, 7.15–7.20, 7.22
• Wilson, Penelope (1991) A Lexicographical Study of the Ptolemaic Texts in the Temple of Edfu, Liverpool: University of Liverpool, pages 7–9
• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 339.
• Erichsen, Wolja (1954) Demotisches Glossar, Copenhagen: Ejnar Munksgaard, page 49
• Janet H. Johnson, editor (2001), The Demotic Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago‎^[2], volume Y (01.1), Chicago: The University of Chicago, pages 7–10