ܐܚܐ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Root
ܐ ܚ ܐ (ˀ ḥ ˀ)
4 terms

Etymology

From Aramaic אֲחָא (ʾăḥā), from Proto-Semitic *ʔaḫw-; compare Arabic أَخ (ʔaḵ), Hebrew אָח ('ákh) and Akkadian 𒋀 (aḫum)

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): [ʔaxɑː]

Noun

ܐܲܚܵܐ • (aḥḥā) m sg (plural ܐܲܚ̈ܘܵܬ݂ܹܐ (aḥwāṯē) or ܐܲܚ̈ܲܘܵܬ݂ܵܐ (aḥḥawāṯā), feminine ܚܵܬ݂ܵܐ (ḥāṯā))

1. brother (male sibling having parents in common)

   ܘܵܠܹܐ ܕܡܲܟ̰ܫ݇ܚܸܢ ܠܹܗ ܐܲܚܝܼ، ܩܸܡ ܡܛܲܠܩܸܢ ܠܹܗ. ― wālē d-mačḥin lēh aḥī, qim mṭalqin lēh. ― I have to find my brother, I lost him.

   ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܵܗ̇ ܐܲܚܵܐ ܓܵܘ ܣܘܲܝܕ݂ ܘܚܵܬ݂ܵܐ ܓܵܘ ܐܲܠܡܵܢܝܼܵܐ. ― īṯ lāh aḥḥā gāw swayḏ w-ḥāṯā gāw almānīyā. ― She has a brother in Sweden and a sister in Germany.

   • Proverbs 17:17:

     ܚܲܒ݂ܪܵܐ ܒܟܠ ܙܲܒ݂ܢܵܐ ܟܹܐ ܡܲܚܸܒ، ܘܐܲܚܵܐ ܩܵܐ ܥܸܕܵܢܵܐ ܕܐܘܼܠܨܵܢܵܐ ܦܝܼܫܵܐ ܝܠܹܗ ܝܠܝܼܕ݂ܵܐ.

     ḥaḇrā b-kul zaḇnā kē maḥḥib, w-aḥḥā qā ˁiddānā d-ulṣānā pīšā ìlēh līḏā.

     A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.

2. (in the plural) siblings
3. kinsman, friend, companion
4. monk, friar

Usage notes

• This term on its own is used both literally and figuratively; including full brothers, half-brothers and step-brothers.

Inflection

Inflection of ܐܲܚܵܐ (aḥḥā)

number	isolated forms		with possessive pronouns
	state	form	person	singular		plural
				m	f
singular	absolute	ܐܲܚ (aḥ)	1st person	ܐܲܚܝܼ (aḥī)		ܐܲܚܘܼܢ (aḥūn)
	construct	ܐܲܚܘܼ (aḥū)	2nd person	ܐܲܚܘܼܟ݂ (aḥūḵ)	ܐܲܚܘܵܟ݂ܝ (aḥwāḵ)	ܐܲܚܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (aḥḥāwḵōn)
	emphatic	ܐܲܚܵܐ (aḥḥā)	3rd person	ܐܲܚܘܼܗܝ (aḥūh)	ܐܲܚܘܿܗ̇ (aḥḥōh)	ܐܲܚܘܼܗܘܿܢ (aḥūhōn)
plural	absolute	ܐܲܚܝܼ̈ܢ (aḥīn)	1st person	ܐܲܚܘܵܬ݂ܝܼ̈ (aḥwāṯī)		ܐܲܚܘܵܬ݂ܲܢ̈ (aḥwāṯan)
	construct	ܐܲܚ̈ܘܵܬ݂ (aḥwāṯ)	2nd person	ܐܲܚܘܵܬ݂ܘܼ̈ܟ݂ (aḥwāṯūḵ)	ܐܲܚܘܵܬ݂ܵܟ݂ܝ̈ (aḥwāṯāḵ)	ܐܲܚܘܵܬ݂ܵܘ̈ܟ݂ܘܿܢ (aḥwāṯāwḵōn)
	emphatic	ܐܲܚ̈ܘܵܬ݂ܹܐ (aḥwāṯē)	3rd person	ܐܲܚܘܵܬ݂ܘܼ̈ܗܝ (aḥwāṯūh)	ܐܲܚ̈ܘܵܬ݂ܘܿܗ̇ (aḥwāṯōh)	ܐܲܚܘܵܬ݂ܗ̈ܘܿܢ (aḥwāṯhōn)

Derived terms

• ܐܲܚܘܼܬ݂ܵܐ (aḥūṯā, “brotherhood, fraternity”)
• ܐܲܚܘܿܢܵܐ (aḥōnā, “little brother; brother”)
• ܐܲܚܵܐ ܐܘܼܓܵܐ (aḥḥā ūgā, “half brother”)
• ܐܲܚܵܐ ܚܘܼܪܓܵܐ (aḥḥā ḥurgā, “stepbrother”)
• ܐܲܚܵܝܵܐ (aḥḥāyā, “brotherly, fraternal”)
• ܐ݇ܚܝܵܢܵܐ (ḥyānā, “relative”)
• ܒܲܪ ܐܲܚܵܐ (bar aḥḥā, “fraternal nephew”)
• ܒܲܪ݇ܬ ܐܲܚܵܐ (bat aḥḥā, “fraternal niece”)

 

Classical Syriac

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ʾaḫ-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʔăħɑ] (singular)
• IPA^(key): [ʔăħe] (plural)

Noun

ܐܚܐ • (ʾăḥā) m (plural ܐܚܐ, singular feminine counterpart ܚܬܐ)

1. brother
2. (in the plural) siblings
3. kinsman, friend, companion
4. peer, colleague, associate
5. neighbour
6. monk, friar

Usage notes

The word ܐܚܐ is one of only three nouns in the entire language that have an irregular possessive stem ending in the letter Waw; the other two being ܐܒܐ (ʾăḇāʾ, “father”) and ܚܡܐ (ḥəmā, “father-in-law”).

Inflection

    declension of ܐܚܐ

state	singular	plural
absolute	ܐܚ	ܐܚܝܢ
construct	ܐܚ	ܐܚܝ
emphatic	ܐܚܐ	ܐܚܐ
possessive forms
1st c. sg. (my)	ܐܚܝ	ܐܚܝ
2nd m. sg. (your)	ܐܚܘܟ	ܐܚܝܟ
2nd f. sg. (your)	ܐܚܘܟܝ	ܐܚܝܟܝ
3rd m. sg. (his)	ܐܚܘܗܝ	ܐܚܘܗܝ
3rd f. sg. (her)	ܐܚܘܗ	ܐܚܝܗ
1st c. pl. (our)	ܐܚܘܢ	ܐܚܝܢ
2nd m. pl. (your)	ܐܚܘܟܘܢ	ܐܚܝܟܘܢ
2nd f. pl. (your)	ܐܚܘܟܝܢ	ܐܚܝܟܝܢ
3rd m. pl. (their)	ܐܚܘܗܘܢ	ܐܚܝܗܘܢ
3rd f. pl. (their)	ܐܚܘܗܝܢ	ܐܚܝܗܝܢ

Derived terms

• ܐܚܘܢܐ (ʾăḥōnā)
• ܐܚܘܬܐ (ʾăḥūṯā)

References

• “ˀḥ”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2011-06-15
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, page 5a
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 9b
• 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 25a