snfj

Egyptian

Etymology

s- (causative prefix) +‎ nfj (“to blow, to breathe out”).

Pronunciation

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /sɛnɛfi/
  • Conventional anglicization: senefi

Verb

 caus. 3ae inf.

1. (transitive) to let breathe or vent out

Inflection

Conjugation of snfj (causative third weak / caus. 3ae inf. / caus. III. inf.) — base stem: snf, geminated stem: snff

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive1	singular	plural
snft, snfj	snfw, snf	snft, snfwt, snfyt	snf	snf, snfy

‘pseudoverbal’ forms
stative stem	periphrastic imperfective2		periphrastic prospective2
snf	ḥr snft, ḥr snfj	m snft, m snfj	r snft, r snfj

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	passive	contingent
			aspect / mood	active	passive
perfect	snf.n	snfw, snf, snfy	consecutive	snf.jn	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
terminative	snft
perfective3	snf	active + .tj1, .tw2	obligative1	snf.ḫr	active + .tj1, .tw2
imperfective	snf, snfy	active + .tj1, .tw2
prospective3	snfw, snf, snfy	snfw, snf, snfy	potentialis1	snf.kꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
subjunctive	snf, snfy	active + .tj1, .tw2

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms		participles
	active	passive	active	passive
perfect	snf.n	active + .tj1, .tw2	—	—
perfective	snfw1, snfy, snf	active + .tj1, .tw2	snf	snfy, snf
imperfective	snff, snffy, snffw5	active + .tj1, .tw2	snff, snffj6, snffy6	snff, snffw5
prospective	snfw1, snfy, snf, snftj7	—	snfwtj1 4, snftj4, snft4
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.

Allen instead treats this verb as a causative strong triliteral snfꜣ, based on the variant form nfꜣ of its stem verb nfj; in this case the final consonant is unwritten because it is weak:

Conjugation of snfꜣ (causative triliteral / caus. 3-lit. / caus. 3rad.) — base stem: snfꜣ

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive1	singular	plural
snfꜣ	snfꜣw, snfꜣ	snfꜣt	snfꜣ	snfꜣ

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

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	passive	contingent
			aspect / mood	active	passive
perfect	snfꜣ.n	snfꜣw, snfꜣ	consecutive	snfꜣ.jn	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
terminative	snfꜣt
perfective3	snfꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2	obligative1	snfꜣ.ḫr	active + .tj1, .tw2
imperfective	snfꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2
prospective3	snfꜣw, snfꜣ, snfꜣy	snfꜣw, snfꜣ, snfꜣy	potentialis1	snfꜣ.kꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
subjunctive	snfꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms		participles
	active	passive	active	passive
perfect	snfꜣ.n	active + .tj1, .tw2	—	—
perfective	snfꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2	snfꜣ	snfꜣ, snfꜣw5, snfꜣy5
imperfective	snfꜣ, snfꜣy, snfꜣw5	active + .tj1, .tw2	snfꜣ, snfꜣj6, snfꜣy6	snfꜣ, snfꜣw5
prospective	snfꜣ, snfꜣtj7	—	snfꜣwtj1 4, snfꜣtj4, snfꜣt4
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.

However, writings of the verb with a final ꜣ are unattested, unlike writings with a final j, and the writing of the verb nfꜣ itself is very rare and only occurs since the New Kingdom (compared to early Middle Kingdom attestations of nfj), so this is perhaps unlikely.

References

• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 150.