nb

See also: Nb, NB, nB, n.b., N.B., NB., and N.-B.

Translingual

Symbol

nb

1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Norwegian Bokmål.

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

nb

1. (cricket) Initialism of no ball.

Phrase

nb

1. Initialism of nota bene.

Adjective

nb (not comparable)

1. Alternative form of NB: initialism of non-binary.

Anagrams

• B.N., Bn, Bn., bn, bn.

Demotic

Etymology 1

From Egyptian (nb, “all, every”).

Determiner

1. (definite) all, every
2. (indefinite) any

Descendants

• Coptic: ⲛⲓⲃⲉⲛ (niben)

Etymology 2

From Egyptian (nb, “lord”).

Noun

 m

1. lord

Descendants

• Coptic: ⲛⲏⲃ (nēb) (Bohairic, Old Coptic)

Etymology 3

From Egyptian (nbt, “mistress, lady”).

Noun

 f

1. mistress, lady (woman with authority over something)

References

• Erichsen, Wolja (1954) Demotisches Glossar, Copenhagen: Ejnar Munksgaard, page 212–213
• Johnson, Janet (2000) Thus Wrote ꜥOnchsheshonqy: An Introductory Grammar of Demotic‎^[1], third edition, Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, →ISBN, page 7

Egyptian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /nɛb/
  • Conventional anglicization: neb

Determiner

1. all, every

Inflection

Declension of nb

	masculine	feminine
singular	nb	nbt
dual	nbwj	nbtj
plural	nbw	nbwt1, nbt2
Archaic in Middle Egyptian when modifying a noun. From Middle Egyptian, this feminine singular form was generally used for the plural. In Late Egyptian, the masculine singular form was used with all nouns.

In the Pyramid Texts of Unas, among certain other Old Egyptian texts, nb is usually not inflected by gender and number but invariably appears as nb. Even within these texts, however, inflected forms sporadically appear.

Derived terms

• bw-nb
• ntj nb
• ḥr-nb
• rꜥ nb

Descendants

• Demotic: (nb)
  • Coptic: ⲛⲓⲃⲉⲛ (niben)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Afroasiatic *ruub-.

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ˈniːbuw/ → /ˈniːbuw/ → /neːβ/

• (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈniːbuw/
• (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈniːbuw/, in some circumstances reduced early to IPA^(key): /nib/ (by dialect? contingent on phonological context?)
• (Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) IPA^(key): /neːβ/ (Lower Egypt), IPA^(key): /nep/ (Upper Egypt)

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /nɛb/
  • Conventional anglicization: neb

Noun

 m

1. lord, master
   • 12th Dynasty, The Stela of Nakhti, BM EA 143:

     wsjr nb ḏdw nṯr ꜥꜣ […]

     Osiris, Lord of Djedu, the great god […]

   • c. 1550 BCE – 1295 BCE, Great Hymn to Osiris (Stela of Amenmose, Louvre C 286) line 23:

     jwyt zb(.w) sjw(w) rw.w tꜣ m ḥtpw ẖr nb.f

     Wrongdoing has gone, the Slanderer has departed, and the land is in peace under its lord.

2. owner, possessor
   • c. 1550 BCE – 1295 BCE, Great Hymn to Osiris (Stela of Amenmose, Louvre C 286) lines 23–24:

     smn mꜣꜥt n nb.s rdjw sꜣ r jsft

     Righteousness has been established for its possessor, and the back is turned on wrong.

3. an epithet of the king

Inflection

Declension of nb (masculine u-stem)

singular	nb
dual	nbwj
plural	nbw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of nb  

nb	nb	nb
		when referring to the king

Derived terms

• nb ḫꜥw
• nb-ꜣꜥꜥw
• nb-ꜣbḏw
• nb-ꜥnḫ
• nb-wꜥ
• nb-pt
• nb-nswt-tꜣwj
• nb-r-ḏr
• nb-tꜣ-ḏsr
• nb-tꜣwj
• nb-tm
• nbt
• nḫt-nb.f

 

Descendants

• Demotic: (nb)
  • Coptic: ⲛⲏⲃ (nēb) (Bohairic, Old Coptic)

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

(reconstructed Late Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈnaβʔə/

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /nɛb/
  • Conventional anglicization: neb

Noun

 m

1. (rare) damage, sin

Descendants

• Demotic: ⁠⁠ (nby), ⁠⁠⁠ (nbe.t)
  • Coptic: ⲛⲟⲃⲉ (nobe) – Sahidic, ⲛⲟⲃⲓ (nobi) – Bohairic, ⲛⲁⲃⲉ (nabe) – Akhmimic, Lycopolitan, ⲛⲁⲃⲓ (nabi) – Fayyumic, ⲛⲁϥⲓ (nafi) – Fayyumic

Etymology 4

Romanization

nb

1. Alternative transliteration of nbw.

References

• Černý, Jaroslav (1976) Coptic Etymological Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 106 — for the ‘sin’ sense, which is not found in the Wörterbuch.
• Hoch, James (1997) Middle Egyptian Grammar, Mississauga: Benben Publications, →ISBN, page 42