ꜥnḫ

Pronunciation

• (reconstructed Old Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈʕaːnaχ/

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

Verb

 3-lit.

1. (intransitive) to live, to be(come) alive
   1. (+ m) to subsist or live on (something)
   2. (+ m) to dwell in (some place)
   3. (+ ḥr) to occupy (a throne) or dwell in (a foreign land)
2. (intransitive, of the dead) to come to life or live again after death in an afterlife
3. (intransitive, figuratively) to ‘come to life’ (wake up or regain liveliness) upon the rising of the sun or upon seeing the sun
4. (intransitive, figuratively) to ‘come to life’ whenever one’s name is pronounced
5. (intransitive, of a name) to still be remembered
6. (intransitive, especially of body parts) to be vigorous or full of vitality
7. (intransitive, medicine, of food) to be fresh
8. (intransitive, as a non-attributive relative/emphatic form) used in introductory formulae for oaths, usually with a king or god as subject: As long as … lives, … [since the Old Kingdom]
9. used at the beginning of inscriptions before the names of kings and gods: originally ‘May … live’, later meaningless [meaningless since the 18th Dynasty]

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ  

	G104
ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ
		[New Kingdom]	[Late Period, Greco-Roman Period]	[Late Period, Greco-Roman Period]
	when used at the start of inscriptions/before divine/royal names

Noun

 m

1. life (the state of being alive)

Noun

 m

1. someone who lives, a living person or dweller
   • c. 13th Dynasty, Naos of Hori, Kunsthistorisches Museum 186, Vienna:

     j ꜥnḫw tp(j)w tꜣ ẖrw-ḥbt nb wꜥbw nb […]

     O living ones upon the earth, all lector-priests, all temple-cleaners […]

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ  

ꜥnḫ

Noun

 m

1. The meaning of this term is uncertain. It is a piece of equipment illustrated among coffin offerings, at the foot end of the mummy, and depicted in the hieroglyph used to write its name. Possibilities include:
   1. A sandal strap
   2. An elaborate amuletic bow or knot
   3. A sort of tied belt
2. ankh (symbol of life)

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ  

ꜥnḫ

Noun

 m

1. (usually with pꜣ in Late Egyptian) oath, vow [since the Middle Kingdom]

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ  

ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ

Verb

 3-lit.

1. (intransitive) to swear (an oath); (with m) to swear by (someone) [18th Dynasty]

Noun

 m

1. prisoner of war [18th Dynasty]

Noun

 m

1. bouquet or garland of flowers, typically as an offering [since the 18th Dynasty]

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ  

ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ

Noun

 m

1. a kind of beetle [Pyramid Texts]
2. an epithet of the sun [Greco-Roman Period]

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ  

ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ
[Old Kingdom]

Noun

 m

1. an epithet of the inundation [Greco-Roman Period]

Noun

 m

1. The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include: [Middle Kingdom]
   1. alabaster
   2. something made from alabaster

Noun

 m

1. mirror [since the Middle Kingdom]

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ  

		Q24	Q24
ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ	ꜥnḫ
[Middle Kingdom]	[Middle Kingdom]	[Greco-Roman Period]	[Greco-Roman Period]

Noun

S134

 m

1. a vessel in the form of an ankh, from which the gods pour life

Noun

 m

The door hieroglyphs to either side of the ankh should be rotated vertically so that they both face inward.

1. a door leaf [Greco-Roman Period]

Noun

 m

1. a kind of document [20th Dynasty]

Noun

 m

1. sustenance, livelihood [since the 18th Dynasty]

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜥnḫ  

ꜥnḫ

Noun

 m

1. billy-goat^? [19th Dynasty]

See also

• 𓋹

References

• Faulkner, Raymond (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN
• Erman, Adolf; Grapow, Hermann (1926-1961) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache, volume 1, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, page 193.2–201.4, 202.3–203.5, 204.2–204.5, 204.7–204.17, 205.8, 205.13–205.14
• Atiya, Aziz Suryal, editor (1991), “Protodialect”, in The Coptic Encyclopedia, New York: Macmillan, →ISBN
• Allen, James (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, revised second edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 386