ꜥnḫ

Egyptian

Pronunciation

(modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /ɑːnx/
- Conventional anglicization: ankh

For the verb:

(reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ˈʕaːnaχ/ → /ˈʕaːnaχ/ → /ˈʕaːnəχ/ → /ˈʕoːnəχ/

For the noun ‘oath’:

(reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ʕaˈnaχ/ → /ʕaˈnaχ/ → /ʕaˈnaχ/[1]

Verb

3-lit.

(intransitive) to live, to be(come) alive
- c. 2000 BCE – 1900 BCE, Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor (pHermitage/pPetersburg 1115) lines 113–114:
  
  m.k nṯr rḏj.n.f ꜥnḫ.k jn.f tw r jw pn n(j) kꜣ
  Look, the god, he has let you live, as he has brought you to this island of the ka.
1. (+ m) to subsist or live on (something)
2. (+ m) to dwell in (some place)
3. (+ ḥr) to occupy (a throne) or dwell in (a foreign land)
(intransitive, of the dead) to come to life or live again after death in an afterlife
(intransitive, figuratively) to ‘come to life’ (wake up or regain liveliness) upon the rising of the sun or upon seeing the sun
(intransitive, figuratively) to ‘come to life’ whenever one’s name is pronounced
(intransitive, of a name) to still be remembered
(intransitive, especially of body parts) to be vigorous or full of vitality
(intransitive, medicine, of food) to be fresh
(intransitive, as a non-attributive relative/emphatic form) used in introductory formulae for oaths, usually with a king or god as subject: As long as … lives, … [since the Old Kingdom]
used at the beginning of inscriptions before the names of kings and gods: originally ‘May … live’, later meaningless [meaningless since the 18th Dynasty]

Inflection

Conjugation of ꜥnḫ (triliteral / 3-lit. / 3rad.) — base stem: ꜥnḫ, geminated stem: ꜥnḫḫ

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive¹	singular	plural
ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫw, ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫt	ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ

‘pseudoverbal’ forms
stative stem	periphrastic imperfective²		periphrastic prospective²
ꜥnḫ	ḥr ꜥnḫ	m ꜥnḫ	r ꜥnḫ

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	contingent
aspect / mood	active	aspect / mood	active
perfect	ꜥnḫ.n	consecutive	ꜥnḫ.jn
terminative	ꜥnḫt	consecutive	ꜥnḫ.jn
perfective³	ꜥnḫ	obligative¹	ꜥnḫ.ḫr
imperfective	ꜥnḫ	obligative¹	ꜥnḫ.ḫr
prospective³	ꜥnḫ	potentialis¹	ꜥnḫ.kꜣ
subjunctive	ꜥnḫ	potentialis¹	ꜥnḫ.kꜣ

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms	participles
aspect / mood	active	active	passive
perfect	ꜥnḫ.n	—	—
perfective	ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ, ꜥnḫw⁵, ꜥnḫy⁵
imperfective	ꜥnḫ, ꜥnḫy, ꜥnḫw⁵	ꜥnḫ, ꜥnḫj⁶, ꜥnḫy⁶	ꜥnḫ, ꜥnḫw⁵
prospective	ꜥnḫ, ꜥnḫtj⁷	ꜥnḫtj⁴, ꜥnḫt⁴
Used in Old Egyptian; archaic by Middle Egyptian. Used mostly since Middle Egyptian. 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. Declines using third-person suffix pronouns instead of adjectival endings: masculine .f/.fj, feminine .s/.sj, dual .sn/.snj, plural .sn. Only in the masculine singular. Only in the masculine. Only in the feminine.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ

ꜥnḫ

[New Kingdom]

[Late Period, Greco-Roman Period]

when used at the start
of inscriptions/before
divine/royal names

Derived terms

jmj ꜥnḫk
jḫt nbt ꜥnḫt
jtn ꜥnḫ
ꜥnḫj
ꜥnḫj mrj wj rꜥ
ꜥnḫj nj ꜥnḫk nj
ꜥnḫ wꜣs
ꜥnḫ wꜣs snb
ꜥnḫ wḏꜣ snb
ꜥnḫ mj rꜥ
ꜥnḫ m whm
ꜥnḫ mswt
ꜥnḫ msḫꜥ
ꜥnḫ nj
ꜥnḫ nj mrj wj rꜥ
ꜥnḫ-n-nwt
ꜥnḫ ḥtp
ꜥnḫ.s-n-jmn
ꜥnḫ snb
ꜥnḫ.tj
ꜥnḫ.tj ḏt
ꜥnḫ ḏt
ꜥnḫ ḏt mj rꜥ
ꜥnḫ ḏd
ꜥnḫ ḏd wꜣs
whm ꜥnḫ
bꜣ ꜥnḫ
ḥꜥ ꜥnḫ
ḥtp m ꜥnḫ
sꜥnḫ
snb.t ꜥnḫ.t
sqr ꜥnḫ
kꜣ nswt ꜥnḫ
twt-ꜥnḫ-jmn
twt-ꜥnḫ-jmn-ḥqꜣ-jwnw-šmꜥw
twt-ꜥnḫ-jtn

Descendants

Demotic: ꜥnḫ
- Coptic:
  - Sahidic, Fayyumic, and Lycopolitan: ⲱⲛϩ (ōnh)
  - Bohairic: ⲱⲛϧ (ōnx)
  - Dialect P: ⲱⲳϧ (ōnx)
  - Akhmimic: ⲱⲛⳉ (ōnx)

Noun

m

life (the state of being alive)

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Derived terms

jrj ꜥnḫ
ꜥnḫ-jmj
ꜥnḫ-wꜣs
ꜥnḫ mrr
ꜥnḫ-nṯr
ꜥnḫ-tꜣwj
wḏꜣ n ꜥnḫ
mr.s-ꜥnḫ
nb-ꜥnḫ
nbt-ꜥnḫ
ḫt n ꜥnḫ
ḏj ꜥnḫ
ḏj ꜥnḫ ḏd wꜣs

Noun

m

someone who lives, a living person or dweller
- c. 13th Dynasty, Naos of Hori, Kunsthistorisches Museum 186, Vienna:
  
  j ꜥnḫw tp(j)w tꜣ ẖrw-ḥbt nb wꜥbw nb […]
  O living ones upon the earth, all lector-priests, all temple-cleaners […]

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ

ꜥnḫ

Derived terms

ꜥnḫj
ꜥnḫw tpjw tꜣ
ꜥnḫ n mšꜥ
ꜥnḫ n nwt
ꜥnḫ n ḫꜣ tpj
ꜥnḫ n ṯt ḥqꜣ
ꜥnḫt
ꜥnḫt n nwt
pr n ꜥnḫw
nꜣ n ꜥnḫw
nwt nt ꜥnḫw
tꜣ n ꜥnḫw

Noun

m

The meaning of this term is uncertain. It is a piece of equipment illustrated among coffin offerings, at the foot end of the mummy, and depicted in the hieroglyph used to write its name. Possibilities include:
1. A sandal strap
2. An elaborate amuletic bow or knot
3. A sort of tied belt
ankh (symbol of life)

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ

ꜥnḫ

Descendants

→ English: ankh

Noun

m

(usually with pꜣ in Late Egyptian) oath, vow [since the Middle Kingdom]

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine consonant-stem)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ

ꜥnḫ

Derived terms

jnj ꜥnḫ
jrj ꜥnḫ n nb
ꜥnḫ n nb
ꜥnḫ nṯr
rdj ꜥnḫ n nb
ḏd ꜥnḫ

Descendants

Coptic:
- Sahidic and Bohairic: ⲁⲛⲁϣ (anaš)
- Akhmimic: ⲁⲛⲁⳉ (anax)

Verb

3-lit.

(intransitive) to swear (an oath); (with m) to swear by (someone) [18th Dynasty]

Inflection

Conjugation of ꜥnḫ (triliteral / 3-lit. / 3rad.) — base stem: ꜥnḫ, geminated stem: ꜥnḫḫ

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive¹	singular	plural
ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫw, ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫt	ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ

‘pseudoverbal’ forms
stative stem	periphrastic imperfective²		periphrastic prospective²
ꜥnḫ	ḥr ꜥnḫ	m ꜥnḫ	r ꜥnḫ

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	contingent
aspect / mood	active	aspect / mood	active
perfect	ꜥnḫ.n	consecutive	ꜥnḫ.jn
terminative	ꜥnḫt	consecutive	ꜥnḫ.jn
perfective³	ꜥnḫ	obligative¹	ꜥnḫ.ḫr
imperfective	ꜥnḫ	obligative¹	ꜥnḫ.ḫr
prospective³	ꜥnḫ	potentialis¹	ꜥnḫ.kꜣ
subjunctive	ꜥnḫ	potentialis¹	ꜥnḫ.kꜣ

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms	participles
aspect / mood	active	active	passive
perfect	ꜥnḫ.n	—	—
perfective	ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ, ꜥnḫw⁵, ꜥnḫy⁵
imperfective	ꜥnḫ, ꜥnḫy, ꜥnḫw⁵	ꜥnḫ, ꜥnḫj⁶, ꜥnḫy⁶	ꜥnḫ, ꜥnḫw⁵
prospective	ꜥnḫ, ꜥnḫtj⁷	ꜥnḫtj⁴, ꜥnḫt⁴
Used in Old Egyptian; archaic by Middle Egyptian. Used mostly since Middle Egyptian. 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. Declines using third-person suffix pronouns instead of adjectival endings: masculine .f/.fj, feminine .s/.sj, dual .sn/.snj, plural .sn. Only in the masculine singular. Only in the masculine. Only in the feminine.

Noun

m

prisoner of war [18th Dynasty]

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Noun

m

bouquet or garland of flowers, typically as an offering [since the 18th Dynasty]

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ

ꜥnḫ

Noun

m

a kind of beetle [Pyramid Texts]
an epithet of the sun [Greco-Roman Period]

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ

ꜥnḫ

[Old Kingdom]

Noun

m

an epithet of the inundation [Greco-Roman Period]

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Noun

m

The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include: [Middle Kingdom]
1. alabaster
2. something made from alabaster

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Noun

m

mirror [since the Middle Kingdom]
- c. 1295 BCE – 1186 BCE, The Admonitions of Ipuwer (pLeiden I 344 Recto) line 8.5:[2]
  
  m.tn jwtt {m} pdsw.s m nbt ꜣtp gmḥt ḥr.s m mw m nbt ꜥnḫ
  Look, she who had no box is the owner of a chest; she who observed her face in the water is the owner of a mirror.

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ

ꜥnḫ

[Middle Kingdom]

[Greco-Roman Period]

Derived terms

ꜥnḫ n mꜣꜣ ḥr

Noun

m

a vessel in the form of an ankh, from which the gods pour life

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Noun

m

a door leaf [Greco-Roman Period]

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Noun

m

a kind of document [20th Dynasty]

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Noun

m

sustenance, livelihood [since the 18th Dynasty]

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ

ꜥnḫ

Noun

m

billy-goat^? [19th Dynasty]

Inflection

Declension of ꜥnḫ (masculine)

singular	ꜥnḫ
dual	ꜥnḫwj
plural	ꜥnḫw

Derived terms

ꜥnḫt
nꜣ ꜥnḫ

References

Faulkner, Raymond (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN
Erman, Adolf; Grapow, Hermann (1926) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache‎, volume 1, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, page 193.2–201.4, 202.3–203.5, 204.2–204.5, 204.7–204.17, 205.8, 205.13–205.14
Atiya, Aziz Suryal, editor (1991), “Protodialect”, in The Coptic Encyclopedia, New York: Macmillan, →ISBN
James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 386.

Loprieno, Antonio (1995) Ancient Egyptian: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 58
Gardiner, Alan (1909) The Admonitions of an Egyptian Sage from a Hieratic Papyrus in Leiden (Pap. Leiden 344 Recto), page 62 and plate 8

[1] Loprieno, Antonio (1995) Ancient Egyptian: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 58

[2] Gardiner, Alan (1909) The Admonitions of an Egyptian Sage from a Hieratic Papyrus in Leiden (Pap. Leiden 344 Recto), page 62 and plate 8

ꜥnḫ

Egyptian

Pronunciation

Verb

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Descendants

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See also

References