Classical Syriac

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [hu]

Pronoun

ܗܘ • ‎(hū) m ‎(plural ܗܢܘܢ, feminine singular ܗܝ, feminine plural ܗܢܝܢ)

1. (personal) he, it
2. (intensive) he himself, it itself
3. sometimes used somewhat like a definite article; the

Usage notes

• Syriac does not have a neuter gender. The sense of "it" comes when translating Syriac inanimate nouns that are grammatically masculine into English inanimate nouns that are usually neuter.
• As an intensive pronoun, ܗܘ ‎(hū) must come before the noun it describes.

Etymology 2

Modified from above, with the initial consonant quiescing.

Alternative forms

• -ܘ ‎(-w)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [-(ʔ)u] (after a word ending in a consonant)
• IPA^(key): [-w] (after a word ending in a vowel, forming a diphthong)

Pronoun

ܗܘ • ‎([h]ū, -w) m ‎(plural ܐܢܘܢ, feminine singular ܗܝ, feminine plural ܐܢܝܢ)

1. an enclitic used as a copula for a third-person singular masculine subject; he is, it is
2. (with a preceding first- or second-person singular pronoun) an enclitic used as a copula for a singular masculine subject; (I) am, (you) are

Usage notes

• Usually, the form ܗܘ ‎([h]ū) is written separately from the word it follows while the alternative form -ܘ ‎(-w) is written together with the word it follows.

See also

• ܐܝܬܘܗܝ

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [hɑw], [haw]

Adjective

ܗܘ • ‎(hāw) m ‎(plural ܗܢܘܢ, singular feminine counterpart ܗܝ, plural feminine counterpart ܗܢܝܢ)

1. (demonstrative) that

Usage notes

• As an attributive adjective, ܗܘ ‎(hāw) can come either before or after the noun it describes without any change in meaning.

Pronoun

ܗܘ • ‎(hāw) m ‎(plural ܗܢܘܢ, feminine singular ܗܝ, feminine plural ܗܢܝܢ)

1. (demonstrative) that thing, that one
2. used somewhat like a definite article; the

Usage notes

• The sense of the definite article "the" is used especially when translating Ancient Greek texts, being the equivalent of the Ancient Greek masculine singular definite article ὁ ‎(ho).

References

• “hw”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2011-06-16
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français : Syriac–English Dictionary, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, p. 74a-b
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 100b-101a
• Sokoloff, Michael (2009) A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum, Winona Lake, Indiana; Piscataway, New Jersey: Eisenbrauns; Gorgias Press, p. 333a