ܢܦܫܐ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Root
ܢ ܦ ܫ (n p š)
3 terms

Etymology

From Aramaic נַפְשָׁא (nap̄šā), from Proto-Semitic *napš-; compare Akkadian 𒍣 (napištum), Arabic نَفْس (nafs), Hebrew נֶפֶשׁ (néfesh), and Ugaritic 𐎐𐎔𐎌 (npš /⁠napšu⁠/).

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): [naf.ʃɑː]
• (Nineveh Plains) IPA^(key): [noːʃɑː]
• (Urmian) IPA^(key): [noːʃɑː]

Noun

ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ • (nafšā) f sg (plural ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬܹ̈ܐ (nafšātē))

1. self (one individual’s personality, character, demeanor, or disposition)

   ܩܛܝܼܠ ܠܹܗ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܹܗ ― qṭīl lēh nafšēh ― He killed himself. [reflexive]

   ܚܙܹܐ ܠܝܼ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܝܼ ܒܢܵܘܪܵܐ. ― ḥzē lī nafšī b-nāwrā. ― I saw myself in the mirror. [reflexive]

   ܒܸܬ ܐܵܬܝܵܐ ܒܢܲܦ̮ܫܘܿܗ̇ ܐܸܕܠܲܝܠܹܐ. ― bit ātyā b-nafšōh idlaylē. ― She will come by herself tonight.

2. breath (the act or process of breathing)

   ܡܨܹܐ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ܕܫܵܡܥܹܢ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ ܕܪܲܚܵܛܵܐ ܡ̣ܢ ܒܵܬܪܝܼ.

   mṣē wā lī d-šāmˁēn nafšā d-raḥḥāṭā min bātrī.

   I could hear the breath of the runner behind me.

3. psyche (the human mind as the central force in thought, emotion, and behavior of an individual)
4. the same used before or after the noun with an enclitic pronoun attached to it

   ܡܛܹܐ ܠܗܘܿܢ ܒܝܵܘܡܵܐ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܹܗ ܗܲܪ ܐܲܝܟ݂ ܝܸܡܝܼ. ― mṭē lhōn b-yāwmā nafšēh har ayḵ yimī. ― They arrived on the same day as my mother.

   ܐܝܼܬ ܠܝܼ ܓ̰ܲܢܛܵܐ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܘܿܗ̇ ܒܓܵܘܢܵܐ ܐ݇ܚܹܪ݇ܢܵܐ. ― īt lī janṭā nafšōh b-gāwnā ḥēnā. ― I have the same bag in another color.

Inflection

Inflection of ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ (nafšā)

number	isolated forms		with possessive pronouns
	state	form	person	singular		plural
				m	f
singular	absolute	–	1st person	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܝܼ (nafšī)		ܢܲܦ̮ܫܲܢ (nafšan)
	construct	ܢܦ̮ܸܫ (nfiš)	2nd person	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܘܼܟ݂ (nafšūḵ)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܟ݂ܝ (nafšāḵ)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (nafšāwḵōn)
	emphatic	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ (nafšā)	3rd person	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܹܗ (nafšēh)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܗ̇ (nafšāh)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܗܘܿܢ (nafšhōn)
plural	absolute	–	1st person	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬܝܼ̈ (nafšātī)		ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬܲܢ̈ (nafšātan)
	construct	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬ̈ (nafšāt)	2nd person	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬܘܼ̈ܟ݂ (nafšātūḵ)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬܵܟ݂ܝ̈ (nafšātāḵ)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬܵܘ̈ܟ݂ܘܿܢ (nafšātāwḵōn)
	emphatic	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬܹ̈ܐ (nafšātē)	3rd person	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬܘܼ̈ܗܝ (nafšātūh)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬ̈ܘܿܗ̇ (nafšātōh)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬܗ̈ܘܿܢ (nafšāthōn)

Synonyms

• ܓܵܢܵܐ (gānā), ܝܵܬܵܐ (yātā), ܩܢܘܿܡܵܐ (qnōmā), ܪܘܼܚܵܐ (rūḥā)

Derived terms

• ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܢܵܐ (nafšānā, “animate”)
• ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܢܵܐܝܼܬ (nafšānāˀīt, “animately”)
• ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܢܵܝܵܐ (nafšānāyā, “psychological”)
• ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܢܵܝܘܼܬܵܐ (nafšānāyūtā)

References

• “ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ”, in Sureth Dictionary, Association Assyrophile de France, 2022 October 4 (last accessed)
• “ܢܲܦ̮ܫܹܗ”, in Sureth Dictionary, Association Assyrophile de France, 2022 October 4 (last accessed)

Classical Syriac

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *napš-. Compare Akkadian 𒍣 (ZI /⁠napištum⁠/), Arabic نَفْس (nafs), Hebrew נֶפֶשׁ (nép̄eš), and Ugaritic 𐎐𐎔𐎌 (npš /⁠napšu⁠/).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [nafʃɑ(ʔ)]

Noun

ܢܦܫܐ • (nap̄šā) f (plural ܢܦܫܬܐ)

1. soul, life, breath of life
2. self, oneself
3. person
4. funeral stele, tombstone

Inflection

    declension of ܢܦܫܐ

state	singular	plural
absolute	ܢܦܫ	ܢܦܫܢ
construct	ܢܦܫ	ܢܦܫܬ
emphatic	ܢܦܫܐ	ܢܦܫܬܐ
possessive forms
1st c. sg. (my)	ܢܦܫܝ	ܢܦܫܬܝ
2nd m. sg. (your)	ܢܦܫܟ	ܢܦܫܬܟ
2nd f. sg. (your)	ܢܦܫܟܝ	ܢܦܫܬܟܝ
3rd m. sg. (his)	ܢܦܫܗ	ܢܦܫܬܗ
3rd f. sg. (her)	ܢܦܫܗ	ܢܦܫܬܗ
1st c. pl. (our)	ܢܦܫܢ	ܢܦܫܬܢ
2nd m. pl. (your)	ܢܦܫܟܘܢ	ܢܦܫܬܟܘܢ
2nd f. pl. (your)	ܢܦܫܟܝܢ	ܢܦܫܬܟܝܢ
3rd m. pl. (their)	ܢܦܫܗܘܢ	ܢܦܫܬܗܘܢ
3rd f. pl. (their)	ܢܦܫܗܝܢ	ܢܦܫܬܗܝܢ

Derived terms

• ܢܦܫܢܐ
• ܢܦܫܢܐܝܬ
• ܢܦܫܢܘܬܐ
• ܢܦܫܢܝܐ
• ܢܦܫܢܝܘܬܐ

References

• “npš”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, p. 210a
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 346b-347a
• 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, p. 938a