Egyptian
Etymology
Perhaps from a form such as Proto-Afroasiatic *nx̣m. Cognate with Proto-Semitic *nʿm-.[1]
Pronunciation
- (verb): (reconstructed) IPA(key): /ˈnaːcʼam/ → /ˈnaːtʼam/ → /ˈnaːtʼəm/ → /ˈnoːtʼəm/
- (adjective): (reconstructed) IPA(key): /ˈnaːcʼim/ → /ˈnaːtʼim/ → /ˈnaːtʼəm/ → /ˈnoːtʼəm/
Verb
3-lit.
- (intransitive) to taste sweet
- (intransitive) to smell sweet or pleasant
- (intransitive, often of air, water, or temperature) to be(come) pleasant or refreshing
- c. 1450 BCE, The Poetical Stela of Thutmose III: Part I, Cairo Museum 34010:[2]
- nḏmwj jmꜣt.k r šnbt.j
- How pleasant is your grace to my breast!
- (intransitive, of people) to be(come) healthy or well
c. 1550 BCE – 1295 BCE,
Great Hymn to Osiris (Stela of Amenmose, Louvre C 286) line 21:
- bw-nb ḫntš(.w) jbw nḏm(.w) ḥꜣtjw ẖr ršwt
- Everybody is glad, minds are sweet, hearts are in joy.
Inflection
Conjugation of nḏm (triliteral / 3-lit. / 3rad.) — base stem: nḏm, geminated stem: nḏmm
| infinitival forms
|
imperative
|
| infinitive
|
negatival complement
|
complementary infinitive1
|
singular
|
plural
|
nḏm
|
nḏmw, nḏm
|
nḏmt
|
nḏm
|
nḏm
|
| ‘pseudoverbal’ forms
|
| stative stem
|
periphrastic imperfective2
|
periphrastic prospective2
|
nḏm
|
ḥr nḏm
|
m nḏm
|
r nḏm
|
| suffix conjugation
|
| aspect / mood
|
active
|
passive
|
contingent
|
| aspect / mood
|
active
|
passive
|
| perfect
|
nḏm.n
|
nḏmw, nḏm
|
consecutive
|
nḏm.jn
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
| terminative
|
nḏmt
|
| perfective3
|
nḏm
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
obligative1
|
nḏm.ḫr
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
| imperfective
|
nḏm
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
| prospective3
|
nḏm
|
nḏmm
|
potentialis1
|
nḏm.kꜣ
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
| subjunctive
|
nḏm
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
| verbal adjectives
|
| aspect / mood
|
relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms
|
participles
|
| active
|
passive
|
active
|
passive
|
| perfect
|
nḏm.n
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
—
|
—
|
| perfective
|
nḏm
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
nḏm
|
nḏm, nḏmw5, nḏmy5
|
| imperfective
|
nḏm, nḏmy, nḏmw5
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
nḏm, nḏmj6, nḏmy6
|
nḏm, nḏmw5
|
| prospective
|
nḏm, nḏmtj7
|
—
|
nḏmtj4, nḏmt4
|
1 Used in Old Egyptian; archaic by Middle Egyptian.
2 Used mostly since Middle Egyptian.
3 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.
4 Declines using third-person suffix pronouns instead of adjectival endings: masculine .f/.fj, feminine .s/.sj, dual .sn/.snj, plural .sn.
5 Only in the masculine singular.
6 Only in the masculine.
7 Only in the feminine.
|
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of nḏm
Descendants
- Coptic:
- Sahidic Coptic: ⲛⲟⲩⲧⲙ̄ (noutm̄)
- Bohairic Coptic: ⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉⲙ (noutem)
Adjective
- perfective active participle of nḏm: sweet, pleasant
Inflection
Declension of nḏm (perfective active participle)
|
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
| singular
|
nḏm
|
nḏmt
|
| dual
|
nḏmwj
|
nḏmtj
|
| plural
|
nḏmw
|
nḏmwt1, nḏmt2
|
1 Archaic in Middle Egyptian when modifying a noun.
2 From Middle Egyptian, this feminine singular form was generally used for the plural.
In Late Egyptian, the masculine singular form was used with all nouns.
See under the verb section above.
References
- Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1928) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache[1], volume 2, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 378.9–381.8
- Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, page 144
- James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 121, 241.
- Hoch, James (1997) Middle Egyptian Grammar, Mississauga: Benben Publications, →ISBN, page 128