zẖꜣ

Egyptian

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ziˈçiʀ/ → /siˈçiʀ/ → /səˈçej/ → /səˈçej/

• (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA^(key): /ziˈçiʀ/ (infinitive)
• (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA^(key): /siˈçiʀ/ (infinitive)
• (Amarna-period Late Egyptian, c. 1350 BCE) IPA^(key): /səˈçej/
• (latest Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) IPA^(key): /səˈçej/ (infinitive)

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /zɛçɑ/
  • Conventional anglicization: zekha

Verb

 3-lit.

1. (transitive) to write
2. (transitive) to paint

Inflection

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

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive1	singular	plural
zẖꜣ	zẖꜣw, zẖꜣ	zẖꜣt	zẖꜣ	zẖꜣ

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

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	passive	contingent
			aspect / mood	active	passive
perfect	zẖꜣ.n	zẖꜣw, zẖꜣ	consecutive	zẖꜣ.jn	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
terminative	zẖꜣt
perfective3	zẖꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2	obligative1	zẖꜣ.ḫr	active + .tj1, .tw2
imperfective	zẖꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2
prospective3	zẖꜣ	zẖꜣꜣ	potentialis1	zẖꜣ.kꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
subjunctive	zẖꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms		participles
	active	passive	active	passive
perfect	zẖꜣ.n	active + .tj1, .tw2	—	—
perfective	zẖꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2	zẖꜣ	zẖꜣ, zẖꜣw5, zẖꜣy5
imperfective	zẖꜣ, zẖꜣy, zẖꜣw5	active + .tj1, .tw2	zẖꜣ, zẖꜣj6, zẖꜣy6	zẖꜣ, zẖꜣw5
prospective	zẖꜣ, zẖꜣtj7	—	zẖꜣtj4, zẖꜣt4
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

• zẖꜣw (“scribe”)

Descendants

• Demotic: sẖ
  • Akhmimic Coptic: ⲥⳉⲉⲉⲓ (sxeei)
  • Bohairic Coptic: ⲥϧⲁⲓ (sxai)
  • Fayyumic Coptic: ⲥϩⲉⲓ (shei)
  • Lycopolitan Coptic: ⲥϩⲉⲉⲓ (sheei)
  • Sahidic Coptic: ⲥϩⲁⲓ (shai)

Noun

 m

1. (usually in the plural) writing, record
   • c. 1900 BCE, The Instructions of Kagemni (pPrisse/pBN 183) lines 2.4–2.5:

     ḏr.n ḏd.n.f n.sn jr ntt nbt m zẖꜣ ḥr pꜣ šfdw sḏm st mj ḏd.j st (j)m zn ḥꜣw ḥr šꜣꜣt

     In the end he said to them: As for everything in the writing on this scroll, heed it as I say it; don’t exceed what has been set down.

Inflection

Declension of zẖꜣ (masculine)

singular	zẖꜣ
dual	zẖꜣwj
plural	zẖꜣw

Derived terms

• zẖꜣw-mdw-nṯr

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 88, 139, 182, 277.