ܦܠܚܐ

Classical Syriac

Etymology 1

From the root ܦ ܠ ܚ related to working.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pɑlħɑ(ʔ)] (singular)
• IPA^(key): [pɑlħe(ʔ)], [pɑlaħwɑθɑ(ʔ)] (plural)

Noun

ܦܠܚܐ • (transliteration needed) m (plural ܦܠܚܘܬܐ or ܦܠܚܐ, singular feminine counterpart ܦܠܚܬܐ)

1. servant, attendant, agent, minister
2. artisan
3. (military) soldier
4. worker, peasant
5. vintner
6. worshipper

Chess pieces in Classical Syriac (layout · text)
ܡܠܟܐ	ܬܘܪܬܢܐ	ܡܓܕܠܐ	ܦܝܠܐ	ܣܘܣܝܐ	ܦܠܚܐ

Usage notes

Usually, the plural ܦܠܚܐ (pālḥē(ʾ)) is a paucal plural (from two to ten) while the plural ܦܠܚܘܬܐ (pālaḥwāṯā(ʾ)) is a multiple plural (eleven or more).

Inflection

Inflection of ܦܠܚܐ

	isolated forms			with possessive pronouns
	state	form		person	singular		plural
					m	f	m	f
singular	absolute	ܦܠܚ		1st person	ܦܠܚܝ		ܦܠܚܢ
	construct	ܦܠܚ		2nd person	ܦܠܚܟ	ܦܠܚܟܝ	ܦܠܚܟܘܢ	ܦܠܚܟܝܢ
	emphatic	ܦܠܚܐ		3rd person	ܦܠܚܗ	ܦܠܚܗ	ܦܠܚܗܘܢ	ܦܠܚܗܝܢ
plural	absolute	ܦܠܚܘܢ ,ܦܠܚܝܢ		1st person	ܦܠܚܘܬܝ ,ܦܠܚܝ		ܦܠܚܘܬܢ ,ܦܠܚܝܢ
	construct	ܦܠܚܘܬ ,ܦܠܚܝ		2nd person	ܦܠܚܘܬܟ ,ܦܠܚܝܟ	ܦܠܚܘܬܟܝ ,ܦܠܚܝܟܝ	ܦܠܚܘܬܟܘܢ ,ܦܠܚܝܟܘܢ	ܦܠܚܘܬܟܝܢ ,ܦܠܚܝܟܝܢ
	emphatic	ܦܠܚܘܬܐ ,ܦܠܚܐ		3rd person	ܦܠܚܘܬܗ ,ܦܠܚܘܗܝ	ܦܠܚܘܬܗ ,ܦܠܚܝܗ	ܦܠܚܘܬܗܘܢ ,ܦܠܚܝܗܘܢ	ܦܠܚܘܬܗܝܢ ,ܦܠܚܝܗܝܢ

Descendants

• Kurdish:

  → Northern Kurdish: pale

  → Central Kurdish: پاڵە (palle)

Etymology 2

From the root ܦ ܠ ܚ related to working. Compare Aramaic פלחא.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pallɑħɑ(ʔ)] (singular)
• IPA^(key): [pallɑħe(ʔ)] (plural)

Noun

ܦܠܚܐ • (transliteration needed) m (plural ܦܠܚܐ, singular feminine counterpart ܦܠܚܬܐ)

1. worker

   Synonym: ܦܥܠܐ

2. tiller, cultivator, farmer, agriculturalist

   Synonym: ܐܟܪܐ

3. vintner, vinedresser

   Synonyms: ܟܪܡܐ, ܚܡܪܐ

4. worshipper

Inflection

Inflection of ܦܠܚܐ

	isolated forms			with possessive pronouns
	state	form		person	singular		plural
					m	f	m	f
singular	absolute	ܦܠܚ		1st person	ܦܠܚܝ		ܦܠܚܢ
	construct	ܦܠܚ		2nd person	ܦܠܚܟ	ܦܠܚܟܝ	ܦܠܚܟܘܢ	ܦܠܚܟܝܢ
	emphatic	ܦܠܚܐ		3rd person	ܦܠܚܗ	ܦܠܚܗ	ܦܠܚܗܘܢ	ܦܠܚܗܝܢ
plural	absolute	ܦܠܚܝܢ		1st person	ܦܠܚܝ		ܦܠܚܝܢ
	construct	ܦܠܚܝ		2nd person	ܦܠܚܝܟ	ܦܠܚܝܟܝ	ܦܠܚܝܟܘܢ	ܦܠܚܝܟܝܢ
	emphatic	ܦܠܚܐ		3rd person	ܦܠܚܘܗܝ	ܦܠܚܝܗ	ܦܠܚܝܗܘܢ	ܦܠܚܝܗܝܢ

Descendants

• → Arabic: فَلَّاح (fallāḥ)
  • → English: fellah
  • → French: fellah
  • → German: Fellache
  • Kurdish

    → Northern Kurdish: file, fele, fileh, fillah, fille

    → Central Kurdish: فەلە (fele)

  • → Russian: фелла́х (felláx)
  • → Swahili: falahi
  • → Ottoman Turkish: فلاح
    • Turkish: felah, fellah
    • → Aromanian: fileah
    • → Bulgarian: фела́х (feláh)
    • → Serbo-Croatian:
      • Cyrillic script: фѐла̄х
      • Latin script: fèlāh

References

• “plḥ”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, p. 277a, b
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 448a
• 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, pp. 1197b-1198a