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/

(modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /wɑː/
- Conventional anglicization: wa

Adjective

alone
unique
as one, all together

Inflection

Declension of wꜥ (perfective active participle)
	masculine	feminine
singular	wꜥ	wꜥt
dual	—	—
plural	—	—

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.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of wꜥ

wꜥ

Derived terms

wꜥꜥw (“private”)
wꜥ m
wꜥ n
wꜥ nb (“everyone”)
wꜥtj (“sole”)
wꜥtj^? (“captive”)
nb-wꜥ

Related terms

wꜥj (“be alone”)

Numeral

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

(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

Old Egyptian demonstratives
	determiners						pronouns¹	adverbs
	singular		dual		plural		unmarked
	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

¹ 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.

Middle Egyptian demonstratives
	determiners and pronouns			adverbs
	singular		plural¹
	masculine	feminine	plural¹
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

¹ Joined by n(j) to nouns they modify.

Late Egyptian demonstratives and articles
	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

¹ Used with suffix pronouns.
² Originally joined by n(j) to nouns they modify; later without it.

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

^ Callender, John (1975) Middle Egyptian, Undena Publications, page 56: “wíꜥjaw”
^ 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”

[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”

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