zꜣw
Egyptian
Pronunciation
- (modern Egyptological) IPA(key): /zɑuː/
- Conventional anglicization: zau
Noun
m
- magician, wizard, sorcerer [since the Middle Kingdom]
- c. 1550 BCE, Ebers Papyrus, 99, 2-4:
- jr nw rḏjw zjnw nb sḫmt-wꜥb
nb zꜣw nb ꜥwj ḏbꜥw.f ḥr tp ḥr mkḥꜣ ḥr ḏrwt ḥr st jb ḥr
ꜥwj ḥr rdwj nb ḫꜣ.f n ḥꜣtj - As for these [the blood vessels], if any doctor, any wab-priest of Sekhmet,
or any magician places two hands or his fingers on the head, or on the back of the head, or on the hands, or on the place of the heart, or on
the two arms, or on each of the two legs, he examines the heart [i.e. the pulse].
- jr nw rḏjw zjnw nb sḫmt-wꜥb
- c. 1550 BCE, Ebers Papyrus, 99, 2-4:
Inflection
Declension of zꜣw (masculine)
singular | zꜣw |
---|---|
dual | zꜣwwj |
plural | zꜣww |
Pronunciation
- (modern Egyptological) IPA(key): /zɑuː/
- Conventional anglicization: zau
Verb
3ae inf.
- (transitive) to guard, to protect
- (reflexive) to beware, to guard oneself against
- (transitive, in a noun clause, with a subjunctive verb as object) lest
- c. 1900 BCE, The Instructions of Kagemni (pPrisse/pBN 183) lines 2.1–2.2:
- (j)m ꜥꜣ jb.k ḥr ḫpš m ḥr(j) jb ḏꜣmw.k zꜣw jtn.k
- Don’t grow arrogant (lit. don’t make your heart big) on account of (your) strength in the midst of your cohort, lest you be challenged.
Inflection
Conjugation of zꜣw (third weak / 3ae inf. / III. inf.) — base stem: zꜣ, geminated stem: zꜣꜣ
infinitival forms | imperative | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
infinitive | negatival complement | complementary infinitive1 | singular | plural |
zꜣt, zꜣj | zꜣw, zꜣ | zꜣt, zꜣwt, zꜣyt | zꜣ | zꜣ, zꜣy |
‘pseudoverbal’ forms | |||
---|---|---|---|
stative stem | periphrastic imperfective2 | periphrastic prospective2 | |
zꜣ8, zꜣꜣ8 | ḥr zꜣt, ḥr zꜣj | m zꜣt, m zꜣj | r zꜣt, r zꜣj |
suffix conjugation | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
aspect / mood | active | passive | contingent | ||
aspect / mood | active | passive | |||
perfect | zꜣ.n | zꜣw, zꜣ, zꜣy | consecutive | zꜣ.jn | active + .tj1, .tw2 |
active + .tj1, .tw2 | |||||
terminative | zꜣt, zꜣyt | ||||
perfective3 | zꜣ | active + .tj1, .tw2 | obligative1 | zꜣ.ḫr | active + .tj1, .tw2 |
imperfective | zꜣ, zꜣy | active + .tj1, .tw2 | |||
prospective3 | zꜣw, zꜣ, zꜣy | zꜣw, zꜣ, zꜣy | potentialis1 | zꜣ.kꜣ | active + .tj1, .tw2 |
active + .tj1, .tw2 | |||||
subjunctive | zꜣ, zꜣy | active + .tj1, .tw2 |
verbal adjectives | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
aspect / mood | relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms | participles | ||
active | passive | active | passive | |
perfect | zꜣ.n | active + .tj1, .tw2 | — | — |
perfective | zꜣw1, zꜣy, zꜣ | active + .tj1, .tw2 | zꜣ | zꜣy, zꜣ |
imperfective | zꜣꜣ, zꜣꜣy, zꜣꜣw5 | active + .tj1, .tw2 | zꜣꜣ, zꜣꜣj6, zꜣꜣy6 | zꜣꜣ, zꜣꜣw5 |
prospective | zꜣw1, zꜣy, zꜣ, zꜣtj7 | — | zꜣwtj1 4, zꜣtj4, zꜣt4 | |
|
Etymology 3
Most likely derived from a form of the verb zꜣw (“to guard, to protect”), possibly via an earlier form *zꜣyw.
Pronunciation
- (modern Egyptological) IPA(key): /zɑuː/
- Conventional anglicization: zau
Proper noun
m./f. topo.
- Saïs, a city in Lower Egypt
Alternative forms
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of zꜣw
zꜣy | zꜣ | ||||||||
[20th Dynasty] | [New Kingdom] | ||||||||
from Papyrus Chester Beatty I |
Descendants
- → Akkadian: 𒌷𒊓𒀀𒀀 (ālusa-a-a /*saya/)
- → Ancient Greek: Σάϊς (Sáïs)
- Greek: Σάις (Sáis)
- Latin: Saïs
- Demotic: sy
- Bohairic Coptic: ⲥⲁ (sa)
- Sahidic Coptic: ⲥⲁⲓ (sai)
References
- James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, 257 page 156, 257.
- Erman, Adolf; Grapow, Hermann (1929) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache, volume 3, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, page 420
- Vycichl, Werner (1983) Dictionnaire Étymologique de la Langue Copte, Leuven: Peeters, →ISBN, page 182
- Erichsen, Wolja (1954) Demotisches Glossar, Copenhagen: Ejnar Munksgaard, page 408
- Janet H. Johnson, editor (2001) The Demotic Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, volume S (13.1), Chicago: The University of Chicago, page 44