ꜣwt-jb

Egyptian

Etymology

Most likely from the infinitive of ꜣwj-jb (“to be happy”); however, some instead suggest a derivation directly from ꜣwt (“length”) +‎ jb (“heart”) in a direct genitive construction. The former would imply the noun is masculine; the latter, feminine. It is attested a few times modified by (apparently masculine) nb, suggesting that the former is the case, but the omission of feminine adjective endings is also not unusual.

Pronunciation

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /ɑuːt ib/
  • Conventional anglicization: aut-ib

Noun

?

1. happiness, joy

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜣwt-jb  

ꜣwt-jb	ꜣwt-jb	ꜣwt-jb	ꜣw-jb	ꜣw-jb	ꜣw-jb
	[Late Egyptian]	[Late Egyptian]	[Late Period]	[Greco-Roman Period]	[Greco-Roman Period]

Noun

?

1. a pectoral amulet in the form of the hieroglyphs ligatured, presumably intended to bring the wearer happiness [Greco-Roman Period]

Usage notes

These amulets are attested long before the word for them appears in the textual record; older instances of the word have apparently not survived.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜣwt-jb  

ꜣw-jb	ꜣw-jb	ꜣw-jb
[Greco-Roman Period]	[Greco-Roman Period]	[Greco-Roman Period]

Noun

?

1. realgar (red arsenic sulfide) [since the New Kingdom]

Usage notes

Before the Late Period this term is found almost exclusively in medical texts (Papyrus Chester Beatty V and Papyrus Ebers).

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜣwt-jb  

ꜣwt-jb	ꜣw-jb	ꜣw-jby	ꜣw-jb
[Late Egyptian]	[Late Period]	[Greco-Roman Period]	[Greco-Roman Period]

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 455.
• Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1926) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache‎^[1], volume 1, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 4.17–5.1
• Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, page 1
• Lesko, Leonard, Lesko, Barbara (2002) A Dictionary of Late Egyptian, second edition, volume 1, Providence: B.C. Scribe Publications, →ISBN, page 3
• Wilson, Penelope (1991) A Lexicographical Study of the Ptolemaic Texts in the Temple of Edfu, Liverpool: University of Liverpool, pages 3–4