Possibly derived from a lengthened form of Proto-Afroasiatic *-u (nominative case marker).
- (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA(key): /aw/, /w/, sometimes with ablaut; specific nouns used either one form of the suffix, the other, or both in free variation
- (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA(key): /aw/, /w/, as in Old Egyptian
- (latest Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) IPA(key): /(ə)/, /ʔ/, respectively, but IPA(key): /w/ in consonant stem nouns (often metathesized to precede the preceding consonant), all sometimes with ablaut or further changes; regularity is lost
- Used to form the masculine plural forms of nouns and adjectives
The plural is occasionally represented by writing the phonetic or determinative glyph three times, e.g. tꜣw:
From Proto-Afroasiatic *-u (nominative case marker).
- Forms a-stem masculine nouns from roots.
- ḥfꜣ- → ḥfꜣw (“(male) snake”)
- Forms u-stem masculine nouns from roots.
- hrw- → hrw(w) (“day”)
In good orthography, -w is written with a-stem nouns but left unwritten with u-stem nouns, hence hrww, rꜥw are written hrw, rꜥ.
- Forms agent nouns from verbs.
- Forms adverbs from certain adjectives; -ly
- Forms prepositional adverbs from certain prepositions.
- Forms the negatival complement of all verbs except geminate and anomalous verbs.
Often this ending is entirely omitted.
- Forms the prospective of all verbs except second geminate, strong bi- and triliteral, and (usually) anomalous verbs.
- Forms the prospective passive of all verbs except fourth weak, strong bi- and triliteral, and (usually) anomalous verbs.
- Forms the perfect passive of all verbs except second geminate verbs.
Often this ending is entirely omitted.
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of -w
- Optionally marks the masculine singular imperfective passive participle, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
- Optionally marks the masculine singular imperfective relative form of all verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of -w
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-w
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-y
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relative form only; rare
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- Optionally marks the masculine singular perfective passive participle of strong verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of -w
- James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 328–329, 354, etc..
- Loprieno, Antonio (1995) Ancient Egyptian: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 58–59, 251
-w
- Classifier suffix used to form general numerals
See: Category:Mokilese terms suffixed with -w
-w
- used to form pet names
- Megan + -w → Begw
- Ann + -w → Nanw
- Siân + -w → Sianw
Category Welsh terms suffixed with -w not found