.w

See also: w and Variations of "w"

.w - Egyptian

Pronunciation

  • (modern Egyptological) IPA: /ʔuː/
    • Conventional anglicization: .u

Pronoun

 pl 3. suffix pronoun

  1. they, them, their (see usage notes)

Usage notes

This form began to replace the old third person plural pronoun, .sn, from c.1400 B.C.E.. This process started with the objects of prepositions and then instances of the pronoun attached to jw. By Late Egyptian it was the standard form outside of the most formal texts, which retained .sn.

This form of pronoun attaches directly to the preceding word, and means different things depending on what it is attached to.

  • When attached to a noun, it indicates the possessor of the noun.
  • When attached to a verb of the suffix conjugation, it indicates the subject of the verb.
  • When attached to an infinitive verb (especially of an intransitive verb) whose subject is not otherwise expressed, it indicates the subject of the verb.
  • When attached to a transitive infinitive verb whose subject is otherwise expressed or omitted, it indicates the object of the verb.
  • In the third person, when attached to a prospective participle, it indicates gender and number agreement.
  • When attached to a particle like jw or a parenthetic like ḫr, it indicates the subject of the clause.
  • When attached to a preposition, it indicates the object of the preposition.
  • When it follows a relative adjective such as ntj or ntt, it indicates the subject of the relative clause (except in the first person singular and third person common).

Inflection

number first person second person third person
masculine feminine masculine feminine
suffix pronouns singular , .j .k, .kj1 .ṯ, .ṯn .f, .fj1 .s, .sj1
dual .nj .ṯnj .snj
plural .n .ṯn .sn
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns singular w, wj, wy kw, k, ṯw, ṯm, ṯn sw, s s
dual ṯnj snj
plural n ṯn sn
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns singular jnk ṯwt ṯmt swt stt
dual ntsnj
plural ntṯn ntsn, jntsn
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings singular .kj, .k .tj, .t , .j .tj, .t
dual .tjwn .wy, .wj .ty
plural .wn, .nw , .w, .y, .wy .tj, .t
  1. Only when attached to a dual noun or prospective participle.
number first person second person third person
masculine feminine masculine feminine
suffix pronouns singular , .j .k, .kj1 .ṯ, .t .f, .fj1 .s, .sj1
dual2 .nj .ṯnj, .tnj .snj
plural .n .ṯn, .tn .sn, .w3
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns singular wj, w ṯw, tw ṯn, tn sw, st sj, s, st
plural n ṯn, tn sn, st
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns singular jnk ntk, ṯwt2 ntṯ, ntt, ṯwt2 ntf, swt2 nts, swt2
plural jnn3 ntṯn, nttn ntsn
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings singular .kw .tj, .t, .tw3 , .w .tj, .t, .tw3
plural .wn, .wjn .tjwn, .tjwnj , .w, .y
proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns3 singular tw.j tw.k tw.t sw sj, st
plural tw.n tw.tn st
  1. Only when attached to a dual noun or prospective participle.
  2. Only in formal texts, especially religious texts.
  3. Only in postclassical (Neo-Middle Egyptian) texts.
number first person second person third person
masculine feminine masculine feminine
suffix pronouns singular , .j .k, .kw .t .f, .fj .s, .st, .sw
plural .n .tn, .twn .w, .sn1
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns1 singular wj tw, tj sw, st
plural n, wn twn sn, st
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns singular jnk mntk, mtwk mntt, mtwy mntf mntst, mntjst
plural jnn mnttn mntw
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings1 singular .kw, .k .tj, .tw , .w, .y .tj, .tw
plural .nw .tn , .w, .y
unmarked (later) , .tw
proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns singular tw.j tw.k tw.t sw st, sw
plural tw.n tw.tn st, sw, swt
  1. Only in formal texts, especially religious texts.

Alternative forms

.w .w

Pronoun

 c pl or m sg 3. stative ending

  1. (attached to a stative verb form) he, him, they, them

Usage notes

Some authors distinguish between the singular and plural as two different morphemes, treating plural .w as a variant of Old Egyptian .wy or *.wj and singular .w as a variant of Old Egyptian .j; however, at least by Middle Egyptian, no distinction seems to have been made.

In Old Egyptian, .w and its variants were used for the masculine plural, while .tj and its variants were used for the feminine plural. By Middle Egyptian, .w had taken on both roles, making plural .tj rare.

This suffix is usually omitted entirely. When written at all, it is often written before the determinative of the verb.

Inflection

number first person second person third person
masculine feminine masculine feminine
suffix pronouns singular , .j .k, .kj1 .ṯ, .ṯn .f, .fj1 .s, .sj1
dual .nj .ṯnj .snj
plural .n .ṯn .sn
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns singular w, wj, wy kw, k, ṯw, ṯm, ṯn sw, s s
dual ṯnj snj
plural n ṯn sn
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns singular jnk ṯwt ṯmt swt stt
dual ntsnj
plural ntṯn ntsn, jntsn
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings singular .kj, .k .tj, .t , .j .tj, .t
dual .tjwn .wy, .wj .ty
plural .wn, .nw , .w, .y, .wy .tj, .t
  1. Only when attached to a dual noun or prospective participle.
number first person second person third person
masculine feminine masculine feminine
suffix pronouns singular , .j .k, .kj1 .ṯ, .t .f, .fj1 .s, .sj1
dual2 .nj .ṯnj, .tnj .snj
plural .n .ṯn, .tn .sn, .w3
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns singular wj, w ṯw, tw ṯn, tn sw, st sj, s, st
plural n ṯn, tn sn, st
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns singular jnk ntk, ṯwt2 ntṯ, ntt, ṯwt2 ntf, swt2 nts, swt2
plural jnn3 ntṯn, nttn ntsn
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings singular .kw .tj, .t, .tw3 , .w .tj, .t, .tw3
plural .wn, .wjn .tjwn, .tjwnj , .w, .y
proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns3 singular tw.j tw.k tw.t sw sj, st
plural tw.n tw.tn st
  1. Only when attached to a dual noun or prospective participle.
  2. Only in formal texts, especially religious texts.
  3. Only in postclassical (Neo-Middle Egyptian) texts.
number first person second person third person
masculine feminine masculine feminine
suffix pronouns singular , .j .k, .kw .t .f, .fj .s, .st, .sw
plural .n .tn, .twn .w, .sn1
enclitic (‘dependent’) pronouns1 singular wj tw, tj sw, st
plural n, wn twn sn, st
stressed (‘independent’) pronouns singular jnk mntk, mtwk mntt, mtwy mntf mntst, mntjst
plural jnn mnttn mntw
stative (‘pseudoparticiple’) endings1 singular .kw, .k .tj, .tw , .w, .y .tj, .tw
plural .nw .tn , .w, .y
unmarked (later) , .tw
proclitic (‘subject form’) pronouns singular tw.j tw.k tw.t sw st, sw
plural tw.n tw.tn st, sw, swt
  1. Only in formal texts, especially religious texts.

Alternative forms

.w .y .j .jw .wy .w .w
most commonly, this morpheme is left unwritten in Middle Egyptian, plural only; in Late Egyptian, general masculine singular only plural hapax, possibly erroneous or metathesized from *.wj masculine plural only plural only plural only
Meaning and Definition of .w
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