ḏbꜥ

Egyptian

Egyptian numbers ^(edit)

←  10	←  1,000	𓂭 10,000	100,000  →	1,000,000 (106)  →
Cardinal: ḏbꜥ     Ordinal: mḥ-ḏbꜥ

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /cʼaˈbaʕ/ → /tʼaˈbaʕ/ → /tʼəˈβaʕ/

• (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA^(key): /cʼaˈbaʕ/
• (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA^(key): /tʼaˈbaʕ/
• (latest Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) IPA^(key): /tʼəˈβaʕ/

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɛbɑː/
  • Conventional anglicization: djeba

Numeral

1. ten thousand

Inflection

Declension of ḏbꜥ

	masculine	feminine
singular	ḏbꜥ	—

Descendants

• Bohairic Coptic: ⲑⲃⲁ (thba)
• Fayyumic Coptic: ⲧⲃⲉ (tbe)
• Sahidic Coptic: ⲧⲃⲁ (tba)

Etymology 2

Compare with Arabic إصبع (ʾiṣbaʿ, “finger”) and Mina dzəbuŋ (“five”).

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ˈcʼuːbaʕ/ → /ˈtʼuːbaʕ/ → /ˈtʼeːβəʕ/

• (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈcʼuːbaʕ/
• (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈtʼuːbaʕ/
• (latest Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈtʼeːβəʕ/

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɛbɑː/
  • Conventional anglicization: djeba

Noun

 m

1. (anatomy) a finger (inclusive of the thumb) [since the Pyramid Texts]
2. (anatomy, Late Egyptian) a digit: a finger, thumb, or toe
3. (units of measure) a digit: a measure of length equal to ¹⁄₂₈ cubit (about 1.88 cm). [since the Old Kingdom]

Usage notes

In Old Egyptian the sign in this word was generally mirrored compared to the orientation shown here. Later writings use the unmirrored orientation.

Inflection

Declension of ḏbꜥ (masculine)

singular	ḏbꜥ
dual	ḏbꜥwj
plural	ḏbꜥw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ḏbꜥ  

ḏbꜥ	ḏbꜥ	ḏbꜥ
[Old Kingdom and Late Period]	[chiefly since the Middle Kingdom]	[chiefly since the New Kingdom]
		in papyri

Derived terms

• ḏbꜥwt (“signet”)
• jr ḏbꜥwj (“next to, at one’s side”)

Descendants

• Akhmimic Coptic: ϯⲉⲓⲃⲉ (tieibe)
• Bohairic Coptic: ⲧⲏⲃ (tēb)
• Fayyumic Coptic: ⲧⲉⲉⲃⲉ (teebe)
• Lycopolitan Coptic: ⲧⲏⲃⲉ (tēbe)
• Sahidic Coptic: ⲧⲏⲏⲃⲉ (tēēbe)

Verb

 3-lit.

1. Template:indtr to point one’s finger at, especially in reproach or objection [Middle Kingdom]
   • c. 1900 BCE, The Instructions of Kagemni (pPrisse/pBN 183) lines 1.4–1.5:

     ꜣt pw ktt dꜣjr jb ḫw(w) pw ꜣfꜥ jw ḏbꜥ.t(w) jm

     Controlling oneself (lit. Subduing the heart) is a little moment; gluttony is something to be precluded, as it is pointed to in reproach.

2. (transitive, with the heart as object) to rebuke (one’s heart) [Book of the Dead]

Inflection

Conjugation of ḏbꜥ (triliteral / 3-lit. / 3rad.) — base stem: ḏbꜥ, geminated stem: ḏbꜥꜥ

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive1	singular	plural
ḏbꜥ	ḏbꜥw, ḏbꜥ	ḏbꜥt	ḏbꜥ	ḏbꜥ

‘pseudoverbal’ forms
stative stem	periphrastic imperfective2		periphrastic prospective2
ḏbꜥ	ḥr ḏbꜥ	m ḏbꜥ	r ḏbꜥ

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	passive	contingent
			aspect / mood	active	passive
perfect	ḏbꜥ.n	ḏbꜥw, ḏbꜥ	consecutive	ḏbꜥ.jn	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
terminative	ḏbꜥt
perfective3	ḏbꜥ	active + .tj1, .tw2	obligative1	ḏbꜥ.ḫr	active + .tj1, .tw2
imperfective	ḏbꜥ	active + .tj1, .tw2
prospective3	ḏbꜥ	ḏbꜥꜥ	potentialis1	ḏbꜥ.kꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
subjunctive	ḏbꜥ	active + .tj1, .tw2

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms		participles
	active	passive	active	passive
perfect	ḏbꜥ.n	active + .tj1, .tw2	—	—
perfective	ḏbꜥ	active + .tj1, .tw2	ḏbꜥ	ḏbꜥ, ḏbꜥw5, ḏbꜥy5
imperfective	ḏbꜥ, ḏbꜥy, ḏbꜥw5	active + .tj1, .tw2	ḏbꜥ, ḏbꜥj6, ḏbꜥy6	ḏbꜥ, ḏbꜥw5
prospective	ḏbꜥ, ḏbꜥtj7	—	ḏbꜥtj4, ḏbꜥt4
Used in Old Egyptian; archaic by Middle Egyptian. Used mostly since Middle Egyptian. Archaic or greatly restricted in usage by Middle Egyptian. The perfect has mostly taken over the functions of the perfective, and the subjunctive and periphrastic prospective have mostly replaced the prospective. Declines using third-person suffix pronouns instead of adjectival endings: masculine .f/.fj, feminine .s/.sj, dual .sn/.snj, plural .sn. Only in the masculine singular. Only in the masculine. Only in the feminine.

Derived terms

• ḏbꜥw (“reproach, rebuke”)

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ˈcʼaːbaʕ/ → /ˈtʼaːbaʕ/ → /ˈtʼoːβəʕ/

• (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈcʼaːbaʕ/
• (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈtʼaːbaʕ/
• (latest Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈtʼoːβəʕ/

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɛbɑː/
  • Conventional anglicization: djeba

Verb

 3-lit.

1. (transitive) to seal up (wine or grain)
2. (transitive) to seal, to place a seal upon (+ m or + ḥr: to seal with)

Inflection

Conjugation of ḏbꜥ (triliteral / 3-lit. / 3rad.) — base stem: ḏbꜥ, geminated stem: ḏbꜥꜥ

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive1	singular	plural
ḏbꜥ	ḏbꜥw, ḏbꜥ	ḏbꜥt	ḏbꜥ	ḏbꜥ

‘pseudoverbal’ forms
stative stem	periphrastic imperfective2		periphrastic prospective2
ḏbꜥ	ḥr ḏbꜥ	m ḏbꜥ	r ḏbꜥ

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	passive	contingent
			aspect / mood	active	passive
perfect	ḏbꜥ.n	ḏbꜥw, ḏbꜥ	consecutive	ḏbꜥ.jn	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
terminative	ḏbꜥt
perfective3	ḏbꜥ	active + .tj1, .tw2	obligative1	ḏbꜥ.ḫr	active + .tj1, .tw2
imperfective	ḏbꜥ	active + .tj1, .tw2
prospective3	ḏbꜥ	ḏbꜥꜥ	potentialis1	ḏbꜥ.kꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
subjunctive	ḏbꜥ	active + .tj1, .tw2

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms		participles
	active	passive	active	passive
perfect	ḏbꜥ.n	active + .tj1, .tw2	—	—
perfective	ḏbꜥ	active + .tj1, .tw2	ḏbꜥ	ḏbꜥ, ḏbꜥw5, ḏbꜥy5
imperfective	ḏbꜥ, ḏbꜥy, ḏbꜥw5	active + .tj1, .tw2	ḏbꜥ, ḏbꜥj6, ḏbꜥy6	ḏbꜥ, ḏbꜥw5
prospective	ḏbꜥ, ḏbꜥtj7	—	ḏbꜥtj4, ḏbꜥt4
Used in Old Egyptian; archaic by Middle Egyptian. Used mostly since Middle Egyptian. Archaic or greatly restricted in usage by Middle Egyptian. The perfect has mostly taken over the functions of the perfective, and the subjunctive and periphrastic prospective have mostly replaced the prospective. Declines using third-person suffix pronouns instead of adjectival endings: masculine .f/.fj, feminine .s/.sj, dual .sn/.snj, plural .sn. Only in the masculine singular. Only in the masculine. Only in the feminine.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ḏbꜥ  

ḏbꜥ

[Late Period]

Descendants

• Akhmimic Coptic: ⲧⲟⲩⲃⲉ (toube)
• Bohairic Coptic: ⲧⲱⲃ (tōb), ⲧⲱⲃⲓ (tōbi)
• Sahidic Coptic: ⲧⲱⲱⲃⲉ (tōōbe)

References

• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 101–102, 105.
• Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, page 321
• Vycichl, Werner (1983) Dictionnaire Étymologique de la Langue Copte, Leuven: Peeters, →ISBN, page 211
• Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1931) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache‎^[1], volume 5, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 562.11–566.4, 566.12–566.15, 567.2–567.3