ܒܝܥܬܐ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Alternative forms

• ܒܹܥܬ݂ܵܐ (bēˁṯā)

Etymology

ܒܝܥܬܐ

From Aramaic בֵּיעְתָא (bēʿəṯā); cognate with Hebrew בֵּיצָה (betzá) and Arabic بَيْضَة (bayḍa).

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): [be̝ʕə.θɑ]
• (Urmian) IPA^(key): [biːtɑː]
• (Nineveh Plains) IPA^(key): [beːtɑː]

Noun

ܒܹܝܥܬ݂ܵܐ • (bēˁṯā) m sg (plural ܒܹܝܥܹ̈ܐ (bēˁē) or ܒܹܝܥܵܬ݂ܹ̈ܐ (bēˁāṯē))

1. egg
2. (cytology) ovum, egg cell
3. (slang, vulgar, in the plural) testicles, balls

   Synonym: ܐܸܫܟܬ݂ܵܐ (iškṯā)

Inflection

Inflection of ܒܹܝܥܬ݂ܵܐ (bēˁṯā)

number	isolated forms		with possessive pronouns
	state	form	person	singular		plural
				m	f
singular	absolute	–	1st person	ܒܹܝܥܬ݂ܝܼ (bēˁṯī)		ܒܹܝܥܬ݂ܲܢ (bēˁṯan)
	construct	ܒܹܝܥܲܬ݂ (bēˁaṯ)	2nd person	ܒܹܝܥܬ݂ܘܼܟ݂ (bēˁṯūḵ)	ܒܹܝܥܬ݂ܵܟ݂ܝ (bēˁṯāḵ)	ܒܹܝܥܬ݂ܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (bēˁṯāwḵōn)
	emphatic	ܒܹܝܥܬ݂ܵܐ (bēˁṯā)	3rd person	ܒܹܝܥܬ݂ܹܗ (bēˁṯēh)	ܒܹܝܥܬ݂ܵܗ̇ (bēˁṯāh)	ܒܹܝܥܬ݂ܗܘܿܢ (bēˁṯhōn)
plural	absolute	–	1st person	ܒܹܝܥܝܼ̈ (bēˁī)		ܒܹܝܥܲܢ̈ (bēˁan)
	construct	ܒܹܝܥܲܝ̈ (bēˁay)	2nd person	ܒܹܝܥܘܼ̈ܟ݂ (bēˁūḵ)	ܒܹܝܥܵܟ݂ܝ̈ (bēˁāḵ)	ܒܹܝܥܵܘ̈ܟ݂ܘܿܢ (bēˁāwḵōn)
	emphatic	ܒܹܝܥܹ̈ܐ (bēˁē)	3rd person	ܒܹܝܥܘܼ̈ܗܝ (bēˁūh)	ܒܹܝܥ̈ܘܿܗ̇ (bēˁōh)	ܒܹܝܥܗ̈ܘܿܢ (bēˁhōn)

Derived terms

• ܒܹܝܥܬ݂ܵܢܵܐ (bēˁṯānā, “oval”)
• ܡܒܲܝܥܵܢܵܐ (mbayˁānā, “ovary”)

Classical Syriac

Alternative forms

• ܒܥܬܐ (bēʿṯā)

Etymology

Cognate with Hebrew בֵּיצָה (bēṣā) and Arabic بَيْض (bayḍ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [be̝ʕ(ə)θɑ] (singular)
• IPA^(key): [be̝ʕe], [be̝ʕɑθɑ] (plural)

Noun

ܒܝܥܬܐ • (bēʿṯā) f (plural ܒܝܥܬܐ (bēʿāṯā) or ܒܝܥܐ (bēʿē))

1. egg
2. skull, crown
3. testicles
4. arch

Usage notes

Usually, the plural ܒܝܥܐ (bêʿēʾ) is used for the literal sense of "eggs" while ܒܝܥܬܐ (bêʿāṯā) is used for other senses.

Inflection

    declension of ܒܝܥܬܐ

state	singular	plural
absolute	ܒܝܥܐ	ܒܝܥܢ ,ܒܝܥܝܢ
construct	ܒܝܥܬ	ܒܝܥܬ ,ܒܝܥܝ
emphatic	ܒܝܥܬܐ	ܒܝܥܬܐ ,ܒܝܥܐ
possessive forms
1st c. sg. (my)	ܒܝܥܝ	ܒܝܥܬܝ ,ܒܝܥܝ
2nd m. sg. (your)	ܒܝܥܟ	ܒܝܥܬܟ ,ܒܝܥܝܟ
2nd f. sg. (your)	ܒܝܥܟܝ	ܒܝܥܬܟܝ ,ܒܝܥܝܟܝ
3rd m. sg. (his)	ܒܝܥܗ	ܒܝܥܬܗ ,ܒܝܥܘܗܝ
3rd f. sg. (her)	ܒܝܥܗ	ܒܝܥܬܗ ,ܒܝܥܝܗ
1st c. pl. (our)	ܒܝܥܢ	ܒܝܥܬܢ ,ܒܝܥܝܢ
2nd m. pl. (your)	ܒܝܥܟܘܢ	ܒܝܥܬܟܘܢ ,ܒܝܥܝܟܘܢ
2nd f. pl. (your)	ܒܝܥܟܝܢ	ܒܝܥܬܟܝܢ ,ܒܝܥܝܟܝܢ
3rd m. pl. (their)	ܒܝܥܗܘܢ	ܒܝܥܬܗܘܢ ,ܒܝܥܝܗܘܢ
3rd f. pl. (their)	ܒܝܥܗܝܢ	ܒܝܥܬܗܝܢ ,ܒܝܥܝܗܝܢ

Descendants

• → Arabic: بِيعَة (bīʕa)
  • → Ottoman Turkish: بیعه (biʼa)
• → Old South Arabian: 𐩨𐩲𐩩 (bʿt, “church”)

See also

• ܩܪܩܦܬܐ (qarqap̄əṯā)
• ܐܫܟܬܐ (ʾeškəṯā)
• ܐܙܓܐ (ʾazgā)

References

• “byˁh”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2011-08-26
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, page 29a
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, pages 42b-43a
• Sokoloff, Michael (2009) A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum, Winona Lake, Indiana, Piscataway, New Jersey: Eisenbrauns; Gorgias Press, page 143a