In Ancient Egyptian (AE) the word qeb or qab seems to mean:
double, intestines, windings, strew, cold
Fold
In all probability there is some underlying link for qAb / qeb, but what is it?
The key may be the following entry, from Faulkner:
The key may be the following entry, from Faulkner:
|
Egyptian |
English |
EngJSM |
source |
glyphs |
|
(ḳ3b: qAb) |
“fold over” |
fold |
Faulkner Concise [275:12.2] |
<slope leg clip-R PLANE> |
Gardiner interprets the same qAb entry as ‘double’, which is the result if you fold a cloth.
(ḳ(3)b: qAb)
|
“double”
|
fold
|
Gardiner [596.1:6.3]
|
<slope leg clip-R PLANE>
|
Even the glyphs for qeb back up this idea:
with the third glyph ‘clip-R’ looking like a folded cloth (as well as a ‘paperclip’, hence its name).
So to ‘double’ something,
(sḳb: se-qeb)
|
“double”
|
double make
|
Faulkner Concise [249:15]
|
<cloth slope leg clip-z PLANE>
|
with the se- causitive prefix, could equally be translated as ‘fold make’.
Windings
Windings, the linen wrapping on mummies, could be viewed as ‘folds’:
(ḳ3b: qAb)
|
“windings”
|
fold
|
Faulkner Concise [276:1.1]
|
<slope eagle leg unwindx3>
|
(ḳ3b: qAb)
|
“windings”
|
fold
|
Faulkner Concise [276:1.21]
|
<slope eagle leg clip-S>
|
(ḳb: qeb)
|
“windings”
|
fold
|
Faulkner Concise [276:1.22]
|
<slope leg clip-R PLANE>
|
Coils
Equally, the coils or a snake qAbu are ‘folds’, or ‘something folded (fold entity):
(ḳ3bw: qAb-u)
|
“coils”
|
fold entity
|
Faulkner Concise [275:13]
|
<slope eagle leg quail ness-2 ness-2 ness-2>
|
Intestines
In the same way, anyone who has seen ‘intestines’ knows that they are coiled up in semblance of folds:
(ḳ3b: qAb)
|
“intestine”
|
intestines
|
Faulkner Concise [275:11.1]
|
<slope eagle leg clip-R comma>
|
(ḳ3b: qAb)
|
“intestine”
|
intestines
|
Faulkner Concise [275:11.2]
|
<slope leg clip-S PLANE>
|
(ḳ3b: qAb)
|
“intestine”
|
intestines
|
Faulkner Concise [275:11.1]
|
<slope eagle leg clip-R comma>
|
(ḳ3b: qAb)
|
“intestine”
|
intestines
|
Gardiner [596.1:6.1]
|
<slope eagle leg clip-R COMMA: down-R>
|
Strew (scatter)
What the connection of ‘fold’ is to ‘strew’ is unclear.
Perhaps when one scatters a handful of wheat when sowing it, it often makes a fold pattern; or perhaps one makes a fold of one’s arm when reaching into the wheat basket prior to scattering.
Regardless of the original thought, the reality of ‘fold’ in the word can hardly be denied.
Perhaps when one scatters a handful of wheat when sowing it, it often makes a fold pattern; or perhaps one makes a fold of one’s arm when reaching into the wheat basket prior to scattering.
Regardless of the original thought, the reality of ‘fold’ in the word can hardly be denied.
(ḳb: qeb)
|
“strew”
|
scatter
|
Faulkner Concise [277:12]
|
<slope leg waterpot: pour>
|
Among
In English we use ‘enfold’ often to give a sense of ‘containment within’, and it is not much a stretch of the imagination to envisage meanings of ‘among’ and ‘in the company of’ from the original AE em qeb (in fold).
(em qeb : em qeb)
|
“among”
|
in fold [among]
|
EAWB [178:1]
|
<owl slope leg clip-L: top PLANE>
|
(em qeb: em qeb)
|
“in the company of”
|
in fold [among]
|
EAWB [178:2.3]
|
<chisel slope leg clip-L: top PLANE>
|
(m-ḳ3b: em qab)
|
“in the midst of”
|
in fold [among]
|
Gardiner [596.1:6.2]
|
<owl slope eagle leg clip-R PLANE>
|
DIFFERENT
Probably unrelated to the ‘fold’ concept are words to do with ‘cold’, ‘refresh’, ‘relax’, ‘pour’ (libation)
Cold
(ḳb: qeb)
|
“cold”
|
cold
|
Faulkner Concise [277:10]
|
<slope leg waterpot: pour>
|
(ḳb: qeb)
|
“cool”
|
cold
|
Gardiner [609.1:34]
|
<slope leg waterpot: pour>
|
They may look similar, but they probably have a different basic source, as can be detected in the longer words qebeHe and qebeHu.
qebeHe probably means ‘cold’ or ‘cool’, while the form terminating in -u (qebeHu) probably was the abstract ‘cold entity’ or ‘something cold’.
(ḳbḥw: qebeHu)
|
“coolness”
|
cold
|
Faulkner Concise [278:2]
|
<slope leg rope coil waterpot: pour waters PLANE PLURAL>
|
(qebḥ: qebeHe)
|
“cold”
|
cold
|
EAWB [116:2.2]
|
<slope leg rope waterpot: pour waters canal>
|
Cold water
‘Cold water’ is ‘something cold’
(ḳbḥw: qebeHu)
|
“cold water”
|
cold water
|
Faulkner Concise [278:1.1]
|
<slope leg rope quail waterpot-block: pour>
|
(ḳbḥw: qebeHu)
|
“cold water”
|
cold water
|
Faulkner Concise [278:1.21]
|
<slope leg rope waterpot: pour waters>
|
(ḳbḥw: qebeHu)
|
“cold water”
|
cold water
|
Faulkner Concise [278:1.22]
|
<waterpot: pour waters>
|
Sky
Perhaps likewise the ‘sky’ might have been perceived as ‘something cold’.
(ḳbḥw: qebeHu)
|
“sky”
|
sky
|
Faulkner Concise [278:6.1]
|
<slope leg rope quail waterpot: pour-top sky>
|
(ḳbḥw: qebeHu)
|
“sky”
|
sky
|
Faulkner Concise [278:6.21]
|
<slope leg rope waterpot: pour-top waters>
|
(ḳbḥw: qebeHu)
|
“sky”
|
sky
|
Faulkner Concise [278:6.22]
|
<slope leg rope quail waterpot: pour duck PLURAL hills>
|
Libation
Faulkner provides a qeb ‘libation’ example:
(ḳb: qeb)
|
"pour a libation"
|
Faulkner Concise [277:11]
|
<slope leg waterpot: pour waters>
|
This would seem to be more likely to be related to 'cold' than to 'fold'.
All the examples above are drawn from the Nedj Nedj databases.
All the examples above are drawn from the Nedj Nedj databases.
JEREMY STEELE
Saturday 11 May 2013
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