ⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ

Coptic

Alternative forms

A woman from Saqqara, Egypt.

• ϩⲓⲙⲉ (hime) — Sahidic, Lycopolitan, Akhmimic, Old Coptic
• ⲥϩⲓⲙⲓ (shimi) — Bohairic, Fayyumic
• ⲥⲓⲙⲓ (simi), ⲥⲓⲙⲉⲓ (simei), ϩⲏⲙ (hēm) — Fayyumic
• ⲥⲓⲙⲉ (sime) — Old Coptic
• ⲥⲉⲓⲙⲉ (seime), ⲥϩⲉ (she), ϩⲓⲙ (him) — Sahidic

Etymology

From Demotic s-ḥmt (“woman”), from Egyptian zt-ḥmt (“woman”), from (zt, “woman”) + (ḥmt, “wife, woman”), a compound that arose because the feminine ending -t in zt eventually became silent, making zt homophonous with z (“man”), so that it became necessary to add ḥmt to distinguish between them. By surface analysis, ⲥⲁ (sa) +‎ ϩⲓⲙⲉ (hime).

Noun

ⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ • (shime) f (plural ϩⲓⲟⲙⲉ (hiome) or (S) ϩⲓⲁⲙⲉ (hiame) or (A, L) ϩⲓⲁⲁⲙⲉ (hiaame) or (A) ⲥϩⲓⲁⲙⲉ (shiame))

1. (Sahidic, Lycopolitan, Akhmimic) woman
2. (Sahidic, Lycopolitan, Akhmimic) wife
3. (Sahidic, Lycopolitan, Akhmimic) female (animal)

Adjective

ⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ • (shime)

1. (Sahidic, Lycopolitan, Akhmimic) female

References

• Crum, Walter E. (1939) A Coptic Dictionary‎^[1], Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, page 385
• Černý, Jaroslav (1976) Coptic Etymological Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 173–174