zfn

Egyptian

Etymology

zf (“to be(come) mild, merciful”) +‎ -n.

Pronunciation

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /zɛfɛn/
  • Conventional anglicization: zefen

Verb

 3-lit.

1. (intransitive) to be(come) gentle or kindly
2. (intransitive) to be(come) merciful
3. (intransitive) to be(come) happy, to rejoice [Greco-Roman Period]

Inflection

Conjugation of zfn (triliteral / 3-lit. / 3rad.) — base stem: zfn, geminated stem: zfnn

infinitival forms imperative infinitive negatival complement complementary infinitive1 singular plural zfn zfnw, zfn zfnt zfn zfn ‘pseudoverbal’ forms stative stem periphrastic imperfective2 periphrastic prospective2 zfn ḥr zfn m zfn r zfn suffix conjugation aspect / mood active contingent aspect / mood active perfect zfn.n consecutive zfn.jn terminative zfnt perfective3 zfn obligative1 zfn.ḫr imperfective zfn prospective3 zfn potentialis1 zfn.kꜣ subjunctive zfn verbal adjectives aspect / mood relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms participles active active passive perfect zfn.n — — perfective zfn zfn zfn, zfnw5, zfny5 imperfective zfn, zfny, zfnw5 zfn, zfnj6, zfny6 zfn, zfnw5 prospective zfn, zfntj7 zfntj4, zfnt4 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 zfn  

sfn

[since the Middle Kingdom]

References

• Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1929) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache‎^[1], volume 3, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 443.2–443.11
• Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, page 224