ws

See also: WS, Ws, ws., w's, .ws, W's, and wš

English

Noun

ws

1. plural of w

Usage notes

• Opinions vary regarding the use of apostrophes when forming the plurals of letters of the alphabet. New Fowler's Modern English Usage, after noting that the usage has changed, states on page 602 that "after letters an apostrophe is obligatory." The 15th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style states in paragraph 7.16, "To avoid confusion, lowercase letters ... form the plural with an apostrophe and an s". The Oxford Style Manual on page 116 advocates the use of common sense.

Anagrams

• S&W, SW, Sw., sw.

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Egyptian

Pronunciation

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /wɛs/
  • Conventional anglicization: wes

Verb

 2-lit.

1. (intransitive) to lack [since the 22nd Dynasty]
   1. (with m) to lack (something)
2. to withhold, to leave without [Greco-Roman Period]

Inflection

Conjugation of ws (biliteral / 2-lit. / 2rad.) — base stem: ws, geminated stem: wss

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive1	singular	plural
ws	wsw, ws	wst	ws, j.ws	ws, j.ws

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

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	passive	contingent
			aspect / mood	active	passive
perfect	ws.n	wsw, ws	consecutive	ws.jn	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
terminative	wst
perfective3	ws	active + .tj1, .tw2	obligative1	ws.ḫr	active + .tj1, .tw2
imperfective	ws, j.ws1	active + .tj1, .tw2
prospective3	ws	wss	potentialis1	ws.kꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
subjunctive	ws, j.ws1	active + .tj1, .tw2

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms		participles
	active	passive	active	passive
perfect	ws.n	active + .tj1, .tw2	—	—
perfective	ws	active + .tj1, .tw2	ws	wss, wssj6, ws2, wsw2 5, wsy2 5
imperfective	j.ws1, ws, wsy, wsw5	active + .tj1, .tw2	j.ws1, j.wsw1 5, ws, wsj6, wsy6	ws, wsw5
prospective	ws, wstj7	—	wstj4, wst4
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 ws  

ws	ws	ws
		[Late Period]

Derived terms

• jrj ws m
• n ws

 

Noun

 m

1. (only used in the phrase pr-m-ws) Uncertain
   1. height (of a pyramid)
   2. crack or some other reference point from which the height of a pyramid is measured

Inflection

Declension of ws (masculine)

singular	ws
dual	wswj
plural	wsw

References

• Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1926–1961) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN
• Vafea, Flora (2002) The Mathematics of Pyramid Construction in Ancient Egypt.