bꜣ

Egyptian

Pronunciation

Noun 1:

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /biʀ/ → /biʀ/ → /bej/ → /βej/

• (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA^(key): /biʀ/
• (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA^(key): /biʀ/
• (Amarna-period Late Egyptian, c. 1350 BCE) IPA^(key): /bej/
• (latest Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) IPA^(key): /βej/

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /bɑ/
  • Conventional anglicization: ba

Etymology 1

Noun

 m

1. working power, active power, efficacy in acting on and influencing the external world and enforcing order, especially as possessed by a god
2. god, seen as possessed of such power
3. (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 forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of bꜣ  

bꜣ	bꜣ	bꜣ

Derived terms

• bꜣw
• ḫꜥ-bꜣ

Descendants

• Old Coptic: ⲃⲁⲓ (bai)

Etymology 2

Noun

 m

1. ram

Inflection

Declension of bꜣ (masculine)

singular	bꜣ
dual	bꜣwj
plural	bꜣw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of bꜣ  

bꜣ	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

1. leopard

Inflection

Declension of bꜣ (masculine)

singular	bꜣ
dual	bꜣwj
plural	bꜣw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of bꜣ  

bꜣ

Related terms

• ꜣby

Noun

 m

1. leopard skin

Inflection

Declension of bꜣ (masculine)

singular	bꜣ
dual	bꜣwj
plural	bꜣw

Etymology 4

Verb

 2-lit.

1. (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 forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of bꜣ  

bꜣ

See also

• 𓅡

Etymology 5

Perhaps from root consonants b-l.

Verb

 2-lit.

1. (transitive) dig up earth, hoe
2. (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.

Related terms

• 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