tf

Noun

tf (uncountable)

1. Alternative spelling of TF

Anagrams

• F.T., FT, FT%, Ft, Ft., ft, ft.

Etymology 1

Determiner

 f sg distal demonstrative determiner

1. that

Usage notes

This demonstrative was originally a determiner but could later be used alone, like a pronoun. When used as a determiner it follows or precedes the noun it describes.

It forms a contrastive pair with the demonstrative tn, in which tf is distal.

There is a more colloquial variant: tfꜣ.

Inflection

Old Egyptian demonstratives

	determiners						pronouns1	adverbs
number	singular		dual		plural		unmarked
gender	masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine	unmarked
proximal	pn	tn, jtn	jpnj	jptnj	jpn	jptn	nn	—
distal	pf	tf	jpfj	jptfj	jpf	jptf	nf	—
proximal	pj, pw, py, p	tj, tw, jtw	jpwj	jptwj	jpw	jptw	nw	—
vocative	pꜣ	tꜣ	—	—	—	—	nꜣ	ꜥꜣ
Unmarked for number and gender, but treated syntactically as masculine plurals when used with participles and relative forms, and as feminine singulars when referred to by resumptive pronouns.

Middle Egyptian demonstratives

	determiners and pronouns			adverbs
number	singular		plural1
gender	masculine	feminine	unmarked
proximal	pn	tn	nn	ꜥn
distal	pf, pfꜣ	tf, tfꜣ	nf, nfꜣ	ꜥf
‘copula’; vocative	pw, pwy	tw, twy	nw	—
anaphoric	pꜣ	tꜣ	nꜣ	ꜥꜣ
Joined by n(j) to nouns they modify.

Late Egyptian demonstratives and articles

	masculine	feminine	plural		adverb
pronoun	pꜣw				dj
determiners and pronouns	pꜣj	tꜣj	nꜣj
possessive determiners (used with suffix pronouns)	pꜣy	tꜣy	nꜣy
relational pronouns (‘possessive prefixes’)	p-n, pꜣ	t-nt, tꜣ	nꜣyw, nꜣ
definite articles	pꜣ	tꜣ	nꜣ1
indefinite articles	wꜥ1		nhꜣy1
Originally joined by n(j) to nouns they modify; later without it.

Etymology 2

Verb

 2-lit.

1. (intransitive) to spit (+ m: to spit (something) out) [Pyramid Texts, rarely later]

Usage notes

Used chiefly in the context of old religious texts, and particularly in the Heliopolitan cosmogony to describe the creation of the goddess Tefnut from Atum’s spit.

Inflection

Conjugation of tf (biliteral / 2-lit. / 2rad.) — base stem: tf, geminated stem: tff

infinitival forms			imperative
infinitive	negatival complement	complementary infinitive1	singular	plural
tf	tfw, tf	tft	tf, j.tf	tf, j.tf

‘pseudoverbal’ forms
stative stem	periphrastic imperfective2		periphrastic prospective2
tf	ḥr tf	m tf	r tf

suffix conjugation
aspect / mood	active	contingent
		aspect / mood	active
perfect	tf.n	consecutive	tf.jn
terminative	tft
perfective3	tf	obligative	tf.ḫr
imperfective	tf, j.tf1
prospective3	tf	potentialis	tf.kꜣ
subjunctive	tf, j.tf1

verbal adjectives
aspect / mood	relative (incl. nominal / emphatic) forms	participles
	active	active	passive
perfect	tf.n	—	—
perfective	tf	tf	tff, tffj6, tf2, tfw2 5, tfy2 5
imperfective	j.tf1, tf, tfy, tfw5	j.tf1, j.tfw1 5, tf, tfj6, tfy6	tf, tfw5
prospective	tf, tftj7	tftj4, tft4
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, plural .sn. Only in the masculine singular. Only in the masculine. Only in the feminine.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of tf  

D156
tf	df	ṯf	tf
	[Late Period]	[Greco-Roman Period]	[Greco-Roman Period]
	in papyri

Etymology 3

Noun

D154

 m

1. spittle [Pyramid Texts]

Inflection

Declension of tf (masculine)

singular	tf
dual	tfwj
plural	tfw

Descendants

• Coptic: ⲑⲁϥ (thaf)

References

• Allen, James (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, revised second edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN
• Faulkner, Raymond (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN
• Erman, Adolf; Grapow, Hermann (1926-1961) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache, volume 5, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, page 297.6–297.9

Alternative forms

• t.f.

Abbreviation

tf

1. Clipping of tillförordnad., acting (e.g. manager)

References

• tillförordna in Svenska Akademiens Ordlista över svenska språket (13th ed., online)