ꜣḫ n

ꜣḫ n

Egyptian

Etymology

ꜣḫ (“to be(come) effective, useful, splendid”) +‎ n (“for”).

Pronunciation

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /ɑx ɛn/
  • Conventional anglicization: akh en

Interjection

1. (with following noun or suffix pronoun) it’ll do (someone) good, it’ll be good/beneficial for (someone)
   • c. 1506–1493 BCE (reign of Thutmose I), Memorial stele of the Overseer of the Sculptors Djehuti in his tomb at Kōm el-Aḥmar (Hieraconpolis), lines 18–23:[1]

     …

     j wꜥb nb ẖrj-ḥꜣb nb zẖꜣw nb pꜥt nbt rḫyt nbt ḥmmt nbt ꜥnḫw tp(j)w tꜣ swꜣt(j).fj ḥr jzj pn ḥz.tn mry.ṯn nṯrw.tn nwtjw wnn.tn tp tꜣ […] dm.ṯn rn.j ꜣḫ n.tn

     O every cleaner-priest, every lector-priest, every scribe, all patricians, all commoners, all sunfolk, living ones who are on the earth, who will pass by this tomb, you will be favored, you will be loved by your municipal gods so long as you exist on the earth: […] Pronounce my name! It will do you good.

   • c. 1458 BCE, Second biographical inscription of Ineni, from the second memorial stele of his tomb, lines 12–13:[2]

     [mꜣ].tn [n.tn] bjꜣt.j jr mjtt jr(j) ꜣḫ n.ṯn wꜣḥ ꜥnḫ.ṯn tp(j) tꜣ wḏꜣ.tjwnj

     [See] my character and do likewise (lit. do the like concerning it). It will do you good; your life on the earth will endure, so that you are sound.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see ꜣḫ,‎ n.

References

• Erman, Adolf; Grapow, Hermann (1926) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache‎, volume 1, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, page 14.19–14.24
• Faulkner, Raymond (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, page 4

1. Sethe, Kurt; Helck, Wolfgang (1906–1958) Urkunden des ägyptischen Altertums IV: Urkunden der 18. Dynastie, Leipzig/Berlin: J. C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung, page 133.7–133.16
2. Sethe, Kurt; Helck, Wolfgang (1906–1958) Urkunden des ägyptischen Altertums IV: Urkunden der 18. Dynastie, Leipzig/Berlin: J. C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung, page 65.15–66.2