Proto-Coptic Deverbal Database

About This Database

This database presents a collection of approximately 400 Coptic deverbal terms derived from strong triliteral verbal roots attested in pre-Coptic Egyptian, at least as early as the second millennium BCE. The aim of the database is to document and analyze the relationship between Coptic lexical forms and their earlier Egyptian verbal bases, with particular attention to morphological and semantic continuity.

In order to be included, entries must meet the following criteria:

• The meaning of the Coptic term is reasonably clear.
• The meaning of the corresponding pre-Coptic verbal root is reasonably well established.
• The semantic relationship between the pre-Coptic root and the Coptic form is transparent or plausible, and generally accepted in the scholarly literature (e.g. Vycichl, Osing, Westendorf).
• The pre-Coptic root is attested in verbal usage at least as early as the second millennium BCE.
• Forms derived from triliteral roots with initial w are included, as this consonant typically behaves as a regular strong consonant in initial position.
• Forms derived from roots with initial ỉ, or containing ꜥ or ꜣ in any position, are included only when their Coptic vocalic structure allows for an unambiguous reconstruction of the corresponding pre-Coptic vocalic pattern.

Column Descriptions

Most column names are self-explanatory; however, a few require additional clarification:

• Word ID: Identifier of the word in the ThothBank database.
• Coptic Transcription: The Coptic transcription represents an analysis of the vocalic and prosodic patterns of the Coptic forms as understood in this study. The conventions follow those introduced in Kilani (2025), Egyptian Verbal Classes.
• Coptic Meaning (Crum): Lexical meanings are primarily based on Crum, with additional sources indicated where relevant. The labels [intr:] and [tr:] are adopted from Crum and should be understood as semantic rather than strictly morphological indicators. For instance, Crum classifies as [tr:] not only verbs that take a direct object morphologically, but also those that take a semantic (though not morphological) object introduced by the preposition/accusative particle m-.
• Class: The primary semantic classification of the Coptic terms. The following categories are used: abstract, action, concrete, quality, and state. Ambiguous or bivalent cases are marked as combinations (e.g. concrete/abstract, state/action).
• Subclass: A secondary semantic subdivision within the main classes.
• Property Type: Additional morphosemantic properties of the Coptic nouns.
• Literal Interpretation: A literal interpretation of the Coptic form derived from the corresponding pre-Coptic root, based on the present analysis.
• Vocalic Pattern: The surface Proto-Coptic vocalic pattern as inferred from the Coptic form.
• Interpretation: A proposed underlying pre-Proto-Coptic reconstruction, including vocalic structure, according to the current research.
• Suffix -ỷ: Indicates the presence or absence of the suffix -ỷ in the Coptic form.
• Distinctive Vowel: E = presence of at least one vowel *E in the proto-form; a = absence of any vowel *E in the proto-form.
• Root ID: Identifier of the root in the ThothBank database.
• Root Type: Semantic classification of the pre-Coptic root.