Egyptian
Pronunciation
Noun 1:
Etymology 1
Noun
m
- working power, active power, efficacy in acting on and influencing the external world and enforcing order, especially as possessed by a god
- god, seen as possessed of such power
- (by extension) the dead, seen as possessed of such power and needing offerings to sustain it; efficacious soul, ba
Usage notes
In the earliest times, this term only appears in reference to gods and the qualities they possess. In the course of the Old Kingdom, it begins to be applied to kings, and around the end of the Old Kingdom finally starts to appear with reference to non-royal individuals.
Inflection
Declension of bꜣ (masculine)
| singular
|
bꜣ
|
| dual
|
bꜣwj
|
| plural
|
bꜣw
|
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of bꜣ
Derived terms
Descendants
Etymology 2
Noun
m
- ram
Inflection
Declension of bꜣ (masculine)
| singular
|
bꜣ
|
| dual
|
bꜣwj
|
| plural
|
bꜣw
|
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of bꜣ
Descendants
From bꜣ ꜥꜣ nj pt (literally “he-goat of heaven”):
- ⇒ Demotic: bj-ꜥꜣ-n-pt (“he-goat”)
- Sahidic Coptic: ⲃⲁⲁⲙⲡⲉ (baampe)
Etymology 3
Noun
m
- leopard
Inflection
Declension of bꜣ (masculine)
| singular
|
bꜣ
|
| dual
|
bꜣwj
|
| plural
|
bꜣw
|
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of bꜣ
Noun
m
- leopard skin
Inflection
Declension of bꜣ (masculine)
| singular
|
bꜣ
|
| dual
|
bꜣwj
|
| plural
|
bꜣw
|
Etymology 4
Verb
2-lit.
- (intransitive) to be(come) an animate, efficacious soul, to possess a ba or ba-power
Inflection
Conjugation of bꜣ (biliteral / 2-lit. / 2rad.) — base stem: bꜣ, geminated stem: bꜣꜣ
| infinitival forms
|
imperative
|
| infinitive
|
negatival complement
|
complementary infinitive1
|
singular
|
plural
|
bꜣ
|
bꜣw, bꜣ
|
bꜣt
|
bꜣ, j.bꜣ
|
bꜣ, j.bꜣ
|
| ‘pseudoverbal’ forms
|
| stative stem
|
periphrastic imperfective2
|
periphrastic prospective2
|
bꜣ
|
ḥr bꜣ
|
m bꜣ
|
r bꜣ
|
| suffix conjugation
|
| aspect / mood
|
active
|
contingent
|
| aspect / mood
|
active
|
| perfect
|
bꜣ.n
|
consecutive
|
bꜣ.jn
|
| terminative
|
bꜣt
|
| perfective3
|
bꜣ
|
obligative1
|
bꜣ.ḫr
|
| imperfective
|
bꜣ, j.bꜣ1
|
| prospective3
|
bꜣ
|
potentialis1
|
bꜣ.kꜣ
|
| subjunctive
|
bꜣ, j.bꜣ1
|
| verbal adjectives
|
| aspect / mood
|
relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms
|
participles
|
| active
|
active
|
passive
|
| perfect
|
bꜣ.n
|
—
|
—
|
| perfective
|
bꜣ
|
bꜣ
|
bꜣꜣ, bꜣꜣj6, bꜣ2, bꜣw2 5, bꜣy2 5
|
| imperfective
|
j.bꜣ1, bꜣ, bꜣy, bꜣw5
|
j.bꜣ1, j.bꜣw1 5, bꜣ, bꜣj6, bꜣy6
|
bꜣ, bꜣw5
|
| prospective
|
bꜣ, bꜣtj7
|
bꜣtj4, bꜣt4
|
1 Used in Old Egyptian; archaic by Middle Egyptian.
2 Used mostly since Middle Egyptian.
3 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.
4 Declines using third-person suffix pronouns instead of adjectival endings: masculine .f/.fj, feminine .s/.sj, dual .sn/.snj, plural .sn.
5 Only in the masculine singular.
6 Only in the masculine.
7 Only in the feminine.
|
Alternative hieroglyphic writings of bꜣ
See also
Etymology 5
Perhaps from root consonants b-l.
Verb
2-lit.
- (transitive) dig up earth, hoe
- (transitive) destroy
Inflection
Conjugation of bꜣ (biliteral / 2-lit. / 2rad.) — base stem: bꜣ, geminated stem: bꜣꜣ
| infinitival forms
|
imperative
|
| infinitive
|
negatival complement
|
complementary infinitive1
|
singular
|
plural
|
bꜣ
|
bꜣw, bꜣ
|
bꜣt
|
bꜣ, j.bꜣ
|
bꜣ, j.bꜣ
|
| ‘pseudoverbal’ forms
|
| stative stem
|
periphrastic imperfective2
|
periphrastic prospective2
|
bꜣ
|
ḥr bꜣ
|
m bꜣ
|
r bꜣ
|
| suffix conjugation
|
| aspect / mood
|
active
|
passive
|
contingent
|
| aspect / mood
|
active
|
passive
|
| perfect
|
bꜣ.n
|
bꜣw, bꜣ
|
consecutive
|
bꜣ.jn
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
| terminative
|
bꜣt
|
| perfective3
|
bꜣ
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
obligative1
|
bꜣ.ḫr
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
| imperfective
|
bꜣ, j.bꜣ1
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
| prospective3
|
bꜣ
|
bꜣꜣ
|
potentialis1
|
bꜣ.kꜣ
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
| subjunctive
|
bꜣ, j.bꜣ1
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
| verbal adjectives
|
| aspect / mood
|
relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms
|
participles
|
| active
|
passive
|
active
|
passive
|
| perfect
|
bꜣ.n
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
—
|
—
|
| perfective
|
bꜣ
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
bꜣ
|
bꜣꜣ, bꜣꜣj6, bꜣ2, bꜣw2 5, bꜣy2 5
|
| imperfective
|
j.bꜣ1, bꜣ, bꜣy, bꜣw5
|
active + .tj1, .tw2
|
j.bꜣ1, j.bꜣw1 5, bꜣ, bꜣj6, bꜣy6
|
bꜣ, bꜣw5
|
| prospective
|
bꜣ, bꜣtj7
|
—
|
bꜣtj4, bꜣt4
|
1 Used in Old Egyptian; archaic by Middle Egyptian.
2 Used mostly since Middle Egyptian.
3 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.
4 Declines using third-person suffix pronouns instead of adjectival endings: masculine .f/.fj, feminine .s/.sj, dual .sn/.snj, plural .sn.
5 Only in the masculine singular.
6 Only in the masculine.
7 Only in the feminine.
|
- brbr "to dig"
- ⲃⲟⲗⲃⲗ (bolbl) "to dig up"
References
- Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN
- van Sittert, Bianca (2020) “Maintaining Order over Chaos”: A study of the ba and baw concepts in the Predynastic Period, Early Dynastic Period, and Old Kingdom [Master’s Thesis, the American University in Cairo]. AUC Knowledge Fountain.
- Žabkar, L. V. (1968) A study of the Ba concept in ancient Egyptian texts. Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization 34. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
- Wolf-Brinkmann, E. M. (1968) Versuch einer Deutung des Begriffes ‘bA’ anhand der Überlieferung der Frühzeit und des Alten Reiches, Freiburg i. Br.: G. Seeger