ܐܬܢܐ

Classical Syriac

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ʔatān-. Compare Akkadian 𒊩𒀲 (atānu /⁠eme₃⁠/), Arabic أَتَان (ʔatān), Hebrew אָתוֹן (ʾāṯôn).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Edessan) IPA^(key): [ʔăˈθɑ.nɑ]
• (Eastern Syriac) IPA^(key): [ʔaˈθɑ.nɑ]
• (Western Syriac) IPA^(key): [ʔɑˈθo.no]

Noun

ܐܬܢܐ • (ʾăṯānā) f (plural ܐܬܢܐ (ʾăṯānē), singular masculine counterpart ܚܡܪܐ (ḥəmārā))

1. donkey, she-ass, jenny
   • Peshitta, John 12:15:

     ܠܐ ܬܕܚܠܝܢ ܒܪܬ ܨܗܝܘܢ. ܗܐ ܡܠܟܟܝ ܐܬܐ ܠܟܝ. ܘܪܟܝܒ ܥܠ ܥܝܠܐ ܒܪ ܐܬܢܐ.

     lā ṯeḏḥəlīn, ba[r]ṯ ṣehyōn: hā malkēḵ[y] ʾāṯē lēḵ[y], wa-rəḵīḇ ʿal ʿīlā bar ʾăṯānā.

     Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.

Usage notes

While the word is normally considered feminine, it may occasionally be masculine when specifically referring to a male.

Inflection

Inflection of ܐܬܢܐ

	isolated forms			with possessive pronouns
	state	form		person	singular		plural
					m	f	m	f
singular	absolute	ܐܬܢ		1st person	ܐܬܢܝ		ܐܬܢܢ
	construct	ܐܬܢ		2nd person	ܐܬܢܟ	ܐܬܢܟܝ	ܐܬܢܟܘܢ	ܐܬܢܟܝܢ
	emphatic	ܐܬܢܐ		3rd person	ܐܬܢܗ	ܐܬܢܗ	ܐܬܢܗܘܢ	ܐܬܢܗܝܢ
plural	absolute	ܐܬܢܝܢ		1st person	ܐܬܢܝ		ܐܬܢܝܢ
	construct	ܐܬܢܝ		2nd person	ܐܬܢܝܟ	ܐܬܢܝܟܝ	ܐܬܢܝܟܘܢ	ܐܬܢܝܟܝܢ
	emphatic	ܐܬܢܐ		3rd person	ܐܬܢܘܗܝ	ܐܬܢܝܗ	ܐܬܢܝܗܘܢ	ܐܬܢܝܗܝܢ

Synonyms

• ܚܡܪܬܐ (ḥəmārtā)

References

• “ˀtn”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2011-08-25
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, page 22b
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 33a
• Sokoloff, Michael (2009) A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum, Winona Lake, Indiana, Piscataway, New Jersey: Eisenbrauns; Gorgias Press, page 112b