ܢܦܫܐ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Etymology

Root
ܢ ܦ ܫ (n p š)
5 terms

Inherited from Aramaic נַפְשָׁא (nap̄šā), from Proto-Semitic *napš-; compare Akkadian 𒍣 (napištum), Arabic نَفْس (nafs), Hebrew נֶפֶשׁ (néfesh), and Ugaritic 𐎐𐎔𐎌 (npš /⁠napšu⁠/). The final senses of “self” and “same” are a semantic loan from Classical Syriac as a substitute of the Kurdish loanword ܓܵܢܵܐ (gānā).

Pronunciation

• (Standard) IPA^(key): [nafʃɑː]
• (Nineveh Plains) IPA^(key): [noːʃɑː]
• (Urmia) IPA^(key): [noːʃɑː]

Noun

ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ • (nafšā) f sg (plural ܢܲܦ̮̈ܫܵܬ݂ܵܐ (nafšāṯā))

1. soul (the core or essential aspect required for being)
2. psyche (the human mind as the central force in thought, emotion, and behavior of an individual)
3. person, soul (e.g., in a census, as a numerative in statistics)
4. self (one individual’s personality, character, demeanor, or disposition)

   Synonyms: ܪܘܼܚܵܐ (rūḥā), (dialectal) ܓܵܢܵܐ (gānā)

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

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

5. same used before or after the noun with an enclitic pronoun attached to it

   ܡܸܢܕܝܼ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܹܗ ― mindī nafšēh ― the same thing (literally, “the thing itself”)

   ܦܲܪܨܘܿܦܵܐ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܹܗ ― parṣōpā nafšēh ― the same person (literally, “the person himself”)

   ܫܵܥܬ݂ܵܐ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܗ̇ ― šāˁṯā nafšāh ― the same hour (literally, “the hour itself”)

Inflection

Inflection of ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ

	isolated forms			with possessive pronouns
	state	form		person	singular		plural
					m	f
singular	absolute	ܢܦ̮ܸܫ (nfiš)		1st person	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܝܼ (nafšī)		ܢܲܦ̮ܫܲܢ (nafšan)
	construct	ܢܦ̮ܸܫ (nfiš)		2nd person	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܘܼܟ݂ (nafšōḵ)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܟ݂ܝ (nafšāḵ)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܲܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (nafšawḵōn)
	emphatic	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ (nafšā)		3rd person	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܹܗ (nafšēh)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܗ̇ (nafšāh)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܗܘܿܢ (nafšhōn)
plural	absolute	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܢ̈ (nafšān)		1st person	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬ݂ܝܼ̈ (nafšāṯī)		ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬ݂ܲܢ̈ (nafšāṯan)
	construct	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬ݂̈ (nafšāṯ)		2nd person	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬ݂ܘܼ̈ܟ݂ (nafšāṯōḵ)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬ݂ܵܟ݂ܝ̈ (nafšāṯāḵ)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬ݂ܲܘ̈ܟ݂ܘܿܢ (nafšāṯawḵōn)
	emphatic	ܢܲܦ̮̈ܫܵܬ݂ܵܐ (nafšāṯā)		3rd person	ܢܲܦ̮̈ܫܵܬ݂ܹܗ (nafšāṯēh)	ܢܲܦ̮̈ܫܵܬ݂ܵܗ̇ (nafšāṯāh)	ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܬ݂ܗ̈ܘܿܢ (nafšāṯhōn)

Derived terms

• ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܢܵܐ (nafšānā, “animate”)
• ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܢܵܝܵܐ (nafšānāyā, “psychological”)
• ܒܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ (bnafšā, “actually, in fact; by one’s self”)

• ܚܲܝ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ (ḥay nafšā, “vivacious”)
• ܟܚܝܼܕ݂ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ (kḥīḏ nafšā, “self-respectful”)
• ܥܲܙܝܼܙ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ (ˁazīz nafšā, “even-tempered”)
• ܪܲܒ݂ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ (raḇ nafšā, “magnanimous”)
• ܪܵܡ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ (rām nafšā, “proud”)
• ܫܘܼܦܵܟ݂ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ (šūpāḵ nafšā, “metempsychosis”)
• ܬܟ݂ܝܼܠ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ (tḵīl nafšā, “confident”)
• ܬܸܫܡܫܲܬ݂ ܢܲܦ̮ܫܵܐ (tišmšaṯ nafšā, “self-service”)

See also

• ܟܝܵܢܵܐ (kyānā, “nature”)
• ܦܲܪܨܘܿܦܵܐ (parṣōpā, “person”)
• ܩܢܘܿܡܵܐ (qnōmā, “hypostasis”)
• ܐܲܦܹ̈ܐ (appē, “hypostatic properties”)
• ܪܘܼܚܵܐ (rūḥā, “spirit”)
• ܝܵܬ݂ܵܐ (yāṯā, “essence”)

References

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

Noun

ܢܦܫܐ • (nap̄šā) f (plural ܢܦܫܬܐ)

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

Inflection

Inflection of ܢܦܫܐ

	isolated forms			with possessive pronouns
	state	form		person	singular		plural
					m	f	m	f
singular	absolute	ܢܦܫ		1st person	ܢܦܫܝ		ܢܦܫܢ
	construct	ܢܦܫ		2nd person	ܢܦܫܟ	ܢܦܫܟܝ	ܢܦܫܟܘܢ	ܢܦܫܟܝܢ
	emphatic	ܢܦܫܐ		3rd person	ܢܦܫܗ	ܢܦܫܗ	ܢܦܫܗܘܢ	ܢܦܫܗܝܢ
plural	absolute	ܢܦܫܢ		1st person	ܢܦܫܬܝ		ܢܦܫܬܢ
	construct	ܢܦܫܬ		2nd person	ܢܦܫܬܟ	ܢܦܫܬܟܝ	ܢܦܫܬܟܘܢ	ܢܦܫܬܟܝܢ
	emphatic	ܢܦܫܬܐ		3rd person	ܢܦܫܬܗ	ܢܦܫܬܗ	ܢܦܫܬܗܘܢ	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, page 210a
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903), A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, pages 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, →ISBN, page 938a