jrj

Egyptian

Pronunciation

 

• (verb): (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ˈjiːɾit/ → /ˈjiːɾiʔ/ → /ˈʔiːɾa/ → /ˈʔiːɾə/

• (verb): (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈjiːɾit/
• (verb): (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈjiːɾiʔ/
• (verb): (Amarna-period Late Egyptian, c. 1350 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈʔiːɾa/
• (verb): (latest Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈʔiːɾə/

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

Etymology 1

Verb

 3ae inf.

1. (transitive) to do (an action) (+ r: against (someone); + n: for; + ḥnꜥ: with; + m: using, by means of)
   • c. 1900 BCE, The Instructions of Kagemni (pPrisse/pBN 183) line 2.2:

     nj rḫ.n.tw ḫprt jrrt nṯr ḫft ḫsf.f

     One cannot know what might come to be or what the god might do when he punishes.

2. (intransitive) to act, to do (+ m or mj or ḫft: as, in accordance with; + mj: as, like)
   • c. 2000 BCE – 1900 BCE, Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor (pHermitage/pPetersburg 1115) lines 20–21:

     jr r.k m ḫrt-jb.k swrd pw ḏd n.k

     Well, do whatever you want (literally, “as your desire”). It’s tiring to talk to you.

3. (transitive) to do (good, evil, justice, wrong, etc.) (+ r: against (someone))
   • c. 1550 BCE – 1295 BCE, Great Hymn to Osiris (Stela of Amenmose, Louvre C 286) line 22:

     jr ḏwt r šd-ḫrw wd qn zp.f spr(.w) r.f

     Evil has been done to the Disturber (Set), he who committed violence; his misdeed has caught up with him.

4. (transitive) to act as (a function), to act in the capacity of
   • c. 2000 BCE – 1900 BCE, Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor (pHermitage/pPetersburg 1115) lines 183–184:

     ꜥḥꜥ.n ḏd.f n.j m jr(w) jqr ḫnms

     Then he said to me, Don’t act so high-minded (literally, “Don’t act the excellent one”), friend.

   • c. 1550 BCE – 1295 BCE, Great Hymn to Osiris (Stela of Amenmose, Louvre C 286) lines 13–14:

     jr.n snt.f mkt.f sḥr{y}t ḫrww sḥmt zpw šd-ḫrw m ꜣḫw r(ꜣ).s

     His sister has served as his protector, she who drove off the enemies, who put an end to the deeds of the Disturber (Set) by the magical prowess of her mouth

5. (transitive) to make
   1. (transitive) to make, to craft, to construct (concrete things) (+ m: from, out of)
   2. (transitive, of gods) to create, to bring into being with divine power
      • c. 1401 BCE, Amduat of Amenhotep II (tomb of Amenhotep II, KV35) First Hour, closing text, lines 1–2:

        
        

        st n.j jrw.n.j sšm wj ḫprw m ḥꜥw.j

        Illuminate for me, those whom I made! Lead me, those who came into being through my flesh!

   3. (transitive) to make, to bring about (intangible or abstract things)
      • c. 1550 BCE – 1295 BCE, Great Hymn to Osiris (Stela of Amenmose, Louvre C 286) lines 14–15:

        
        
        

        ꜣst ꜣḫt nḏt sn.s ḥḥt sw jwtt b(ꜣ)gg.s pẖrt tꜣ pn m ḥꜣyt nj ḫn.n.s nj gm.tw.s sw jrt šwt m šwwt.s sḫprt ṯꜣw m ḏnḥwj.s jrt hnw mjnt sn.s

        capable Isis who saved her brother, who sought him without wearying, who circled this land in mourning, not alighting so long as he was not found, who made shade with her feathers, who brought about breath with her wings, who made acclamation, a mooring-post for her brother

   4. (transitive) to make, to issue, to promulgate (laws, decrees, prescriptions, commands) (+ n: for (someone); + r: against (someone))
   5. (transitive) to write (texts, documents)
   6. (transitive) to beget (children)
      • c. 1550 BCE – 1295 BCE, Great Hymn to Osiris (Stela of Amenmose, Louvre C 286) lines 16–17:

        
        

        sṯzt nnw n(j) wrd(w)-jb ḫnpt mw.f jrt jwꜥw šdt nḫn m wꜥꜥw nj rḫ bw.f jm bst sw ꜥ.f nḫtw m ẖnw wsḫt gbb

        who raised the limpness of the weary-hearted, who took in his water (semen), who made an heir, who suckled the child in solitude where his location was unknown, who introduced him when his arm grew strong into the hall of Geb.

   7. (transitive) to erect, to build (buildings and monuments)
   8. (transitive) to cultivate, to grow (plants)
      • c. 2000 BCE – 1900 BCE, Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor (pHermitage/pPetersburg 1115) lines 49–50:

        kꜣw jm ḥnꜥ nq(ꜥ)wt sšpt mj jr.t(w).s

        Unripe sycamore figs were there along with ripe ones, and muskmelons as if cultivated.

   9. (transitive) to work (fields)
   10. (transitive) to lay out (gardens and pools)
   11. (transitive) to prepare (food and drink)
6. (transitive) to pass (time), to spend (time)
   • c. 2000 BCE – 1900 BCE, Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor (pHermitage/pPetersburg 1115) lines 41–45:

     
     

     jr.n.j ḫmtw hrw wꜥ.kw jb.j m snnw.j sḏr.kw m ẖnw n(j) kꜣp n(j) ḫt qnj.n.j šwyt

     I spent three days alone, my heart my only companion (literally, “my second”), lying inside a shelter of wood, having embraced the shadows.

7. (transitive) to celebrate (a festival)
8. (transitive) to perform, to undertake (a specified procedure with a defined endpoint)
   1. (transitive) to carry out, to execute (a command, decree, etc.) (+ r: against or regarding (someone))
   2. (transitive) to perform, to make, to offer (a sacrifice)
   3. (transitive) to perform, to carry out (a ceremony)
   4. (transitive, medicine) to prepare and apply, to use (a medicine or remedy)
   5. (transitive) to perform (a miracle or wonder)
   6. (transitive, mathematics) to work out (a value or calculation)
9. (transitive) to achieve (a purpose or result)
10. (transitive) to recite (a spell, praise, or text), to read or speak aloud
11. (transitive) to play (an instrument)
12. (transitive, medicine) to treat (a sickness or ailment)
13. (transitive) to appoint (priests or officials) (+ n: to appoint (someone))
14. (transitive) to gather, to marshal (troops, armies, herds)
15. (transitive) to gather, to acquire, to amass (cattle, grain, or slaves)
16. (transitive) to traverse (lands)
17. (transitive, with m) to make into, turn into, change into (something); also, to put into (writing)
18. (intransitive with r or ḥr or transitive) to make for, to steer towards (a place or direction)
19. (Late Egyptian, catenative, with a verb in the subjunctive) to cause, make, let, allow
20. (Late Egyptian, transitive, with prefixed j. and following infinitive) forms the imperfective active participle
21. (Late Egyptian, transitive, with prefixed j. and following infinitive) forms the perfective active and passive participles, initially of verbs with four or more radicals, but after the New Kingdom increasingly of other verbs as well

Usage notes

Most texts spell inflections of this word that have no reduplicated final consonant as simply , and those with reduplication as ; however, a few texts instead use the spelling for the former and for the latter.

Inflection

Conjugation of jrj (third weak / 3ae inf. / III. inf.) — base stem: jr, geminated stem: jrr

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive1	singular	plural
jrt, jrj	jrw, jr	jrt, jrwt, jryt	jr	jr, jry

‘pseudoverbal’ forms
stative stem	periphrastic imperfective2		periphrastic prospective2
jr8, jrr8	ḥr jrt, ḥr jrj	m jrt, m jrj	r jrt, r jrj

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	passive	contingent
			aspect / mood	active	passive
perfect	jr.n	jrw, jr, jry	consecutive	jr.jn	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
terminative	jrt, jryt
perfective3	jr	active + .tj1, .tw2	obligative1	jr.ḫr	active + .tj1, .tw2
imperfective	jr, jry	active + .tj1, .tw2
prospective3	jrw, jr, jry	jrw, jr, jry	potentialis1	jr.kꜣ	active + .tj1, .tw2
		active + .tj1, .tw2
subjunctive	jr, jry	active + .tj1, .tw2

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms		participles
	active	passive	active	passive
perfect	jr.n	active + .tj1, .tw2	—	—
perfective	jrw1, jry, jr	active + .tj1, .tw2	jr	jry, jr
imperfective	jrr, jrry, jrrw5	active + .tj1, .tw2	jrr, jrrj6, jrry6	jrr, jrrw5
prospective	jrw1, jry, jr, jrtj7	—	jrwtj1 4, jrtj4, jrt4
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. Third-person masculine statives of this class often have a final -y instead of the expected stative ending.

Derived terms

• jrj ꜣbw
• jrj ꜣ r gs
• jrj ḥrrt
• jrj ḫprw
• jrw
• m-jr
• m-jr-djt
• nfr-jr-kꜣ-rꜥ
• sḫm-jr.f

 

Descendants

• Demotic: jr(y)
  • Akhmimic Coptic: ⲉⲓⲣⲉ (eire)
  • Bohairic Coptic: ⲓⲣⲓ (iri)
  • Fayyumic Coptic: ⲓⲗⲓ (ili)
  • Lycopolitan Coptic: ⲓⲣⲉ (ire)
  • Sahidic Coptic: ⲉⲓⲣⲉ (eire)

Etymology 2

r (“regarding, with respect to”) +‎ -j (“adverbializing suffix”).

Adverb

1. regarding it, with respect to it, concerning it, thereto
   • c. 2000 BCE – 1900 BCE, Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor (pHermitage/pPetersburg 1115) lines 21–23:

     sḏd.j r.f n.k mjtt jrj ḫpr(.w) m-ꜥ.j ḏs.j

     Even so, let me recount to you something similar to this that happened to me myself.

2. (after a preposition) Forms prepositional adverbs from certain prepositions.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of jrj  

jr	jr	rw	rw
	[New Kingdom]	[Greco-Roman Period]	[Greco-Roman Period]
	in hieratic

Derived terms

• mm jrj
• nfrt-jrj
• ḫft jrj

 

Etymology 3

From r (“regarding, with respect to”) +‎ -j (“nisba ending”). The noun is simply a nominalized use of the nisba adjective.

Adjective

1. pertaining to, relating to, belonging to

Inflection

Declension of jrj (nisba adjective)

	masculine	feminine
singular	jrj	jrt
dual	jrjwj, jrwj	jrtj
plural	jrjw, jrw	jrwt1, jrt2
Archaic in Middle Egyptian when modifying a noun. From Middle Egyptian, this feminine singular form was generally used for the plural. In Late Egyptian, the masculine singular form was used with all nouns.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of jrj  

jr

Noun

 m

1. one pertaining to
2. keeper, guardian, custodian
3. companion, comrade
4. duty

Inflection

Declension of jrj (masculine)

singular	jrj
dual	jrjwj
plural	jrjw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of jrj  

jr	r	jrj	jr	jrj
[Old Kingdom]	[Old Kingdom]	[Old Kingdom]	[Middle Kingdom]
				abbreviation

Derived terms

• jrj-ꜥꜣ
• jrj-ꜥt
• jrj-pꜥt
• jrj-pḏt
• jrj-nfr-ḥꜣt

 

Descendants

• Bohairic Coptic: ⲏⲣ (ēr)
• Old Coptic: ⲣⲉⲓ (rei)

From the plural:

• Akhmimic Coptic: ⲉⲣⲏⲩ (erēu), ⲉⲣⲏⲟⲩ (erēou)
• Bohairic Coptic: ⲉⲣⲏⲟⲩ (erēou)
• Sahidic Coptic: ⲉⲣⲏⲩ (erēu)

References

• “jri̯ (lemma ID 851809)”, “jr.j (lemma ID 851428)”, and “jr.j (lemma ID 28510)”, in Thesaurus Linguae Aegyptiae‎^[1], Corpus issue 18, Web app version 2.1.5, Tonio Sebastian Richter & Daniel A. Werning by order of the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften and Hans-Werner Fischer-Elfert & Peter Dils by order of the Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig, 2004–26 July 2023
• Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1926) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache‎^[2], volume 1, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 103.18–105.8, 108.5–112.11
• Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, pages 25–27
• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 91, 95, 331, 456.
• Junge, Friedrich (2005) Late Egyptian Grammar: An Introduction, second English edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, page 66
• Selden, Daniel L (2013) Hieroglyphic Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Literature of the Middle Kingdom, first edition, Berkley: University of California Press, →ISBN, pages 74, 79, 225, 301, 337, 341, 342, 344, 351