snsn

Egyptian

Etymology

Reduplication of sn (“to kiss, to smell”).

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ˈsansan/ → /ˈsansan/ → /ˈsansən/ → /ˈsansən/

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

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /sɛnsɛn/
  • Conventional anglicization: sensen

Verb

 4-lit.

1. (transitive) to fraternize with
   • c. 1550 BCE – 1295 BCE, Great Hymn to Osiris (Stela of Amenmose, Louvre C 286) line 13:

     wrrt.f dm.n.s ḥrt snsn.n.s sbꜣw

     His White Crown, it has pierced the sky, it has fraternized with the stars.

Inflection

Conjugation of snsn (quadriliteral / 4-lit. / 4rad.) — base stem: snsn

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive1	singular	plural
snsn	snsnw, snsn	snsnt	snsn	snsn

‘pseudoverbal’ forms
stative stem	periphrastic imperfective2		periphrastic prospective2
snsn	ḥr snsn	m snsn	r snsn

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	passive	contingent
			aspect / mood	active	passive
perfect	snsn.n	snsnw, snsn	consecutive	snsn.jn	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
terminative	snsnt
perfective3	snsn	active + .tj1, .tw2	obligative1	snsn.ḫr	active + .tj1, .tw2
imperfective	snsn	active + .tj1, .tw2
prospective3	snsnw, snsn	snsnw, snsn	potentialis1	snsn.kꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
subjunctive	snsn	active + .tj1, .tw2

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms		participles
	active	passive	active	passive
perfect	snsn.n	active + .tj1, .tw2	—	—
perfective	snsn	active + .tj1, .tw2	snsn	snsn, snsnw5, snsny5
imperfective	snsn, snsny, snsnw5	active + .tj1, .tw2	snsn, snsnj6, snsny6	snsn, snsnw5
prospective	snsn, snsntj7	—	snsnwtj1 4, snsntj4, snsnt4
Used in Old Egyptian; archaic by Middle Egyptian. Used mostly since Middle Egyptian. 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. Declines using third-person suffix pronouns instead of adjectival endings: masculine .f/.fj, feminine .s/.sj, dual .sn/.snj, plural .sn. Only in the masculine singular. Only in the masculine. Only in the feminine.

References

• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 156.