Translingual
Symbol
nfr
- (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Nafaanra.
See also
- Wiktionary’s coverage of Nafaanra terms
Egyptian
FWOTD – 13 January 2016
Etymology
Possibly from Proto-Afroasiatic *fir- (“to be good”) with an additional *nV- prefix.[1] Compare also Tamahaq ⵉⴼⵔⴰⵔ (ifrar, “best”) and Saho feer (“good”).
Pronunciation
- (adjective): (reconstructed) IPA(key): /ˈnaːfiɾ/ → /ˈnaːfiʔ/ → /ˈnaːfa/ → /ˈnoːfə/
Verb
3-lit.
- (intransitive) to be(come) of superior or admirable quality, to be(come) fine, good, or wonderful
- 12th Dynasty, coffin of Nakhtankh, British Museum EA 35285:
- […] qrst nfrt m jz.f nfr n ẖrt-nṯr […]
- […] a good burial in his wonderful tomb of the necropolis […]
- (intransitive) to be(come) pleasant or gratifying to the senses
- (intransitive) to be(come) beautiful or fair, to look good
- (intransitive, of scents and flowers) to smell good
- (intransitive, of food and drinks) to taste good
- (intransitive, of periods of time) to be(come) pleasant or enjoyable to live through
- (intransitive, of people) to acquire or have good or pleasant qualities, to be capable, agreeable, or benevolent
- (intransitive, of work) to be done well or competently
- (intransitive, of medicine) to be(come) effective
- (intransitive, of names) to acquire or have a good reputation
Inflection
Conjugation of nfr (triliteral / 3-lit. / 3rad.) — base stem: nfr, geminated stem: nfrr
| infinitival forms
|
imperative
|
| infinitive
|
negatival complement
|
complementary infinitive1
|
singular
|
plural
|
nfr
|
nfrw, nfr
|
nfrt
|
nfr
|
nfr
|
| ‘pseudoverbal’ forms
|
| stative stem
|
periphrastic imperfective2
|
periphrastic prospective2
|
nfr
|
ḥr nfr
|
m nfr
|
r nfr
|
| suffix conjugation
|
| aspect / mood
|
active
|
contingent
|
| aspect / mood
|
active
|
| perfect
|
nfr.n
|
consecutive
|
nfr.jn
|
| terminative
|
nfrt
|
| perfective3
|
nfr
|
obligative1
|
nfr.ḫr
|
| imperfective
|
nfr
|
| prospective3
|
nfr
|
potentialis1
|
nfr.kꜣ
|
| subjunctive
|
nfr
|
| verbal adjectives
|
| aspect / mood
|
relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms
|
participles
|
| active
|
active
|
passive
|
| perfect
|
nfr.n
|
—
|
—
|
| perfective
|
nfr
|
nfr
|
nfr, nfrw5, nfry5
|
| imperfective
|
nfr, nfry, nfrw5
|
nfr, nfrj6, nfry6
|
nfr, nfrw5
|
| prospective
|
nfr, nfrtj7
|
nfrtj4, nfrt4
|
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 nfr
Derived terms
Adjective
- perfective active participle of nfr: fine, beautiful, pleasant, etc.
Inflection
Declension of nfr (perfective active participle)
|
|
masculine
|
feminine
|
| singular
|
nfr
|
nfrt
|
| dual
|
nfrwj
|
nfrtj
|
| plural
|
nfrw
|
nfrwt1, nfrt2
|
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.
Along with bjn and ꜥꜣ, nfr is one of the few Egyptian adjectives that continued to show remnants of gender and number inflection into Late Egyptian (and beyond).[3]
See the ‘Alternative forms’ section under the verb above.
Derived terms
See the ‘Derived terms’ under the verb above.
Descendants
- Demotic: nfr
- Akhmimic Coptic: ⲛⲟⲩϥⲉ (noufe)
- Bohairic Coptic: ⲛⲟⲩϥⲓ (noufi)
- Fayyumic Coptic: ⲛⲟⲩϥⲓ (noufi)
- Lycopolitan Coptic: ⲛⲟⲩϥⲉ (noufe)
- Sahidic Coptic: ⲛⲟⲩϥⲉ (noufe)
- Old Coptic: ⲛⲟⲩϥⲉ (noufe)
- Sahidic Coptic: ⲉⲙⲡⲣⲱ (emprō)
Noun
m
- fine or good person
- (with following genitive) benefactor (of someone), welldoer
- (with following plural genitive) the best (person) among…, the best one of…
Inflection
Declension of nfr (masculine)
| singular
|
nfr
|
| dual
|
nfrwj
|
| plural
|
nfrw
|
See the ‘Alternative forms’ section under the verb above.
Derived terms
Noun
m
- good, goodness, pleasingness (in opposition to bjn)
- good qualities or deeds (of a person)
- something fine, good, beautiful, pleasing
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of nfr
Derived terms
Interjection
- good, sure, fine
- correct, that’s right
Adverb
- well
See the ‘Alternative forms’ section under the verb above.
Particle
proclitic
- not even, not at all
Usage notes
In Middle Egyptian, this particle is found only in the constructions nfr pw, nfr n, and nfr ꜣ.
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of nfr
Derived terms
- nfrw (“depletion, deficiency, zero”)
References
- Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1928) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache[1], volume 2, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 253.1–256.15, 257.12–257.15, 258.11–258.17
- James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 94–95, 194–195.
- Hoch, James (1997) Middle Egyptian Grammar, Mississauga: Benben Publications, →ISBN, page 42
- ^ Orel, Vladimir E., Stolbova, Olga V. (1995) “*fir-”, in Hamito-Semitic Etymological Dictionary: Materials for a Reconstruction (Handbuch der Orientalistik; I.18), Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Loprieno, Antonio (1995) Ancient Egyptian: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 39, 56
- ^ Junge, Friedrich (2005) Late Egyptian Grammar: An Introduction, second English edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, page 66