Werner 1987: 112. Meaning glossed as 'all; each'; the word has both adjectival and nominal functions. Quoted as malleː in [Lepsius 1880: 358].
Dongolawi:mˈallɛ3
Armbruster 1965: 136. Plural form: mallɛ-nč ~ mallɛ-nčı. Quoted as malle, pl. malle-ri ~ malle-nɕi in [Massenbach 1962: 214].
Kenuzi:malleː3
Hofmann 1986: 124. Quoted as malle in [Massenbach 1962: 214].
Dilling:tˈuː-keɲe4
Kauczor 1920: 95. The lengthier variant tugu-keɲe is also quoted ibid. as characterizing the speech of the older generation. The suffix -keɲe ~ -kene is also encountered with numerals, e. g.: ˈor-keɲe 'both' (see 'two'), tˈɔǯu-kkene 'all three', etc.
Kadaru:tu-ggɛn4
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Debri:tu-ŋyaŋ4
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Karko:tú-mšēr4
Krell 2012: 40.
Wali:kūndù5
Krell 2012: 40.
Birgid:ulaː-ti6
Thelwall 1977: 199.
Midob:pòɕɕ-íɕí-r7
Werner 1993: 117. Quoted as pòɕíɕì in [Thelwall 1983: 110]. Additional synonyms: túmmár ~ tùmmàníɕɕí "all, everybody" [Werner 1993: 134]; tàssìɕí "all" [Werner 1993: 128]. Textual examples, however, confirm pòɕɕíɕí- as the most common equivalent for the adjectival meaning 'all' (of people, animals, etc.).
Number:1
Word:all
Old Nubian:miššan- {mš̄šan-}2
Browne 1996: 118. Renders Greek πάντες ~ πάντα; the semantic difference between miššan- and kell-o is impossible to determine based on attested evidence (it certainly has nothing to do with the difference between 'all = omnis' and 'all = totus'). We include both words as "technical" synonyms. Still other forms with similar meanings are: (a) malle- 'all, every' (encountered rarely and, seemingly, in adjectival rather than nominal function) [Browne 1996: 110]; (b) watto- {ouatto- ~ wattω-} 'whole, all, entire' [Browne 1996: 131] (this word definitely seems to display the semantics of totus and is therefore ineligible for inclusion); (c) ǯimmil- {ǯimml̄- ~ ǯm̄ml̄-} 'all, entire, whole' [Browne 1996: 189]. Overall, available evidence makes it rather hard to determine the most basic and "neutral" equivalent for 'all' in Old Nubian (not to mention that there may have been dialectal variation).
Nobiin:
Dongolawi:
Kenuzi:
Dilling:
Kadaru:
Debri:
Karko:
Wali:
Birgid:
Midob:
Number:2
Word:ashes
Old Nubian:
Not attested.
Nobiin:ùbúr-tí1
Werner 1987: 380. Quoted as ùbúr-tì in [Bell 1970: 136]; as obur-ti ~ ubur-ti, with polysemy: 'ashes / gray' in [Lepsius 1880: 374]. The component -ti is an old fossilized nominal suffix.
Dongolawi:ubˈur-ti1
Armbruster 1965: 207. Plural form: ubˈur-tı-nč ~ ubˈur-tı-nčı. Quoted as ubˈur-ti in [Massenbach 1962: 238].
Kenuzi:ubur-ti1
Hofmann 1986: 175. Quoted as ubˈur-ti in [Massenbach 1962: 238].
Dilling:ɔp-te1
Kauczor 1920: 49.
Kadaru:ɔt-tɛ1
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Debri:ɔt-tɛ1
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Karko:ōmı̀-t1
Krell 2012: 48.
Wali:túŋùnà-dù2
Krell 2012: 48.
Birgid:ubur-ti1
Thelwall 1977: 199.
Midob:úfù-dì1
Werner 1993: 137. Quoted as úfù-dì in [Thelwall 1983: 110].
Number:3
Word:bark
Old Nubian:
Not attested.
Nobiin:àɕì #1
Bell 1970: 124. Polysemy: 'chaff / bark'. In [Lepsius 1880: 312], an entirely different word is listed in the meaning 'bark': gabaːd. However, the reverse German-Nubian index also lists the complex form koi-n aʓin [Lepsius 1880: 417], where the first word = 'tree' q.v. and aʓin = Bell's àɕì.
Dongolawi:gˈabad2
Armbruster 1965: 72. Plural form: gˈabad-ı.
Kenuzi:gabad2
Hofmann 1986: 65. Quoted as gabad in [Massenbach 1962: 188].
Dilling:
Not attested.
Kadaru:
Not attested.
Debri:
Not attested.
Karko:hôʓ3
Krell 2012: 42.
Wali:fúrmú4
Krell 2012: 42.
Birgid:
Not attested.
Midob:àɕɕì-dì1
Werner 1993: 75. Quoted as áɕɕí-dí in [Thelwall 1983: 110].
Number:3
Word:bark
Old Nubian:
Nobiin:
Dongolawi:kˈaːčč ~ kˈaːččı3
Armbruster 1965: 115. Plural form: kˈaːččı-nč ~ kˈaːččı-nčı. This word is glossed based on a more generic semantics than gˈabad: 'investing tissue, rind, bark, skin, crust, shell, husk, pod'. However, both words are simply glossed as 'bark of tree' when found in idiomatic formations with the word for 'tree': ǯˈowwıŋ kˈaːččı = ǯˈowwıŋ gˈabad. The difference between the two is unclear, and we treat them as technical synonyms.
Kenuzi:
Dilling:
Kadaru:
Debri:
Karko:
Wali:
Birgid:
Midob:
Number:4
Word:belly
Old Nubian:tu- {tou-}1
Browne 1996: 181. Renders both Greek γαστήρ 'stomach' and κοιλία 'belly', so, apparently, with polysemy: 'belly / stomach', normal for Nubian languages in general.
Nobiin:tùː1
Werner 1987: 379; Bell 1970: 137. Plural form: tùː-nɕìː. Quoted as tuː, pl. tuː-guː in [Lepsius 1880: 400], with polysemy: 'belly / stomach'.
Hofmann 1986: 173. Quoted as tuː in [Massenbach 1962: 237].
Dilling:te-te2
Kauczor 1920: 49, 62. Plural form: te-ti-l. Glossed as tɛtɛ 'stomach' in [Jabr el Dar 2006: 186].
Kadaru:to1
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Debri:to1
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Karko:tɛ̂tǝ̀1
Krell 2012: 45.
Wali:tɔ̄1
Krell 2012: 45.
Birgid:tuː1
Thelwall 1977: 199. Meaning glossed as 'belly (inside)', opposed to ɛr-ti 'belly (outside)'. Although the latter meaning could be regarded as a closer fit for the Swadesh definition, we hesitate to include it instead of tuː, since known information is not sufficiently reliable to postulate a lexical replacement in Birgid (other Nubian languages do not generally distinguish between 'inside of belly' and 'outside of belly', so the situation deserves additional investigation).
Midob:tǝ̀ː1
Werner 1993: 135. Glossed with polysemy: 'stomach / midst / inside'. The meaning 'belly' or 'abdomen' is not listed as such, but the word is listed in the meaning 'belly' in [Thelwall 1983: 110].
Number:5
Word:big
Old Nubian:daw- {dau- ~ dauei- ~ dauou- ~ dauē-}1
Browne 1996: 36. Verbal root: 'to be great' (Browne glosses the meaning as 'great' since it is rarely, if ever, attested in contexts describing physical largeness, but it consistently renders Greek μέγας, and, with the additional evidence of modern Nobiin, there is little doubt that it was the default equivalent for 'big' in Old Nubian as well).
Nobiin:dàwwí1
Werner 1987: 344; Bell 1970: 127. Plural form: dàwwí-kúː. Quoted as dauw ~ dauwi, pl. dauw-iː 'big, high' in [Lepsius 1880: 283] (also dauwi-r ~ dauwu-r id.).
Dongolawi:dˈuː-l1
Armbruster 1965: 55. Polysemy: 'big / old'. Plural form: dˈuː-l-ı ~ dˈuː-l-ı-nč ~ dˈuː-l-ı-nčı. Quoted as duː-l, pl. duː-l-i ~ duː-l-i-nɕi in [Massenbach 1962: 183]. Stem-final -l may be considered a fused suffix, based on external (cf. Nobiin dàwwí) as well as internal evidence (it is found in multiple other adjectival stems).
Kenuzi:duː-l1
Hofmann 1986: 54. Quoted as duː-l, pl. duː-l-i in [Massenbach 1962: 183].
Dilling:ugir-i2
Kauczor 1920: 82. Polysemy: 'big / old'.
Kadaru:ŋʷoddu2
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Debri:ŋoro2
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Karko:útè3
Krell 2012: 41.
Wali:kwātà4
Krell 2012: 41.
Birgid:oggor2
Thelwall 1977: 199.
Midob:pér5
Werner 1993: 115. Additional synonym: kòːré 'big / old' [Werner 1993: 101; Thelwall 1983: 110]. Textual examples confirm that pér is generally used in the simple meaning 'big' ('big toes', 'big cheeks', etc.), whereas kòːré more commonly refers to age ('old').
Number:6
Word:bird
Old Nubian:kawar-t- {kaurte- ~ kawart-}1
Browne 1996: 84. Renders both Greek πετεινόν 'bird' and στρουθίον 'sparrow', so the more precise meaning is probably '(small) bird'.
Nobiin:kawar-ti1
Lepsius 1880: 340 (quoted as kauarti in Lepsius' orthography). Plural form: kauar-tiː. The suffix -ti reflects the old fossilized singulative marker. Not attested in [Werner 1987].
Dongolawi:kˈawır-tɛ ~ kˈauır-tɛ ~ kˈaur-tɛ1
Armbruster 1965: 120. Plural form: kˈawır-tɛ-nč ~ kˈawır-tɛ-nčı. Quoted as kawir-te ~ kawwer-te in [Massenbach 1962: 205]. Cf. also fˈoːǯa 'small bird' [Armbruster 1965: 72].
Kenuzi:kawir-te1
Hofmann 1986: 108. Quoted as kawir-te ~ kawwer-te in [Massenbach 1962: 205].
Dilling:kɔmil-ti1
Kauczor 1920: 49. Singulative form; the plural form is glossed as simply kɔmil. The plural form is listed as komiːl-i in [Jabr el Dar 2006: 186].
Kadaru:kɔndu-ndu2
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Debri:kɔnnɛ-tu2
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Karko:kùbùr-àn1
Krell 2012: 42.
Wali:kûn-dà2
Krell 2012: 42.
Birgid:kwɑr-ti1
Thelwall 1977: 199. Plural form: kwɑːr-e.
Midob:àːbéd-dí1
Werner 1993: 75. Also hàːbéd-dí id. Quoted as àːbé-dì in [Thelwall 1983: 110].
Number:7
Word:bite
Old Nubian:aǯǯ-1
Browne 1996: 21. According to Browne's dictionary, attested only once, but confirmed as the verb 'to bite' by further parallels in Modern Nobiin.
Nobiin:àɕ-îr1
Werner 1987: 339. Cf. àɕ-í-mùːn 'he does not bite'. Cf. àɕɕ-í 'he bites' in [Bell 1970: 124]. Quoted as aʓʓ-e ~ aʓʓ-e-de in [Lepsius 1880: 266].
Dongolawi:ˈačč ~ ˈaččı1
Armbruster 1965: 4. Of people / animals (for insects, kˈal 'to eat' q.v. is used instead). Quoted as aɕɕ in [Massenbach 1962: 169] (where, however, the word is additionally glossed as 'to sting /e. g. of scorpions/', contra Armbruster).
Kenuzi:ačči1
Hofmann 1986: 18. Quoted as aɕɕ in [Massenbach 1962: 169].
Dilling:aʓ1
Kauczor 1920: 124.
Kadaru:
Not attested.
Debri:
Not attested.
Karko:âʓ1
Krell 2012: 45.
Wali:áí1
Krell 2012: 45.
Birgid:
Not attested.
Midob:àɕɕá-1
Werner 1993: 75. Quoted as àɕɕà (imperative) in [Thelwall 1983: 110].
Number:8
Word:black
Old Nubian:
Not attested. The most likely candidate would be a verbal stem with the same root as udm- {oudm-} 'dark(ness)' [Browne 1996: 131], found applied to "dark people" (Ethiopians); however, this is highly indirect evidence ('darkness' and 'black' could have easily been different lexical roots in Old Nubian).
Nobiin:úrúm1
Werner 1987: 381. Polysemy: 'black / dark'. Plural forms: ùrm-ìː ~ ùrùm-gúː. Quoted as urum 'black; blue' in [Lepsius 1880: 407].
Dongolawi:urˈumm-ɛ1
Armbruster 1965: 212. Plural forms: urˈumm-ɛ-rı ~ urumm-ˈɛ-nč ~ urumm-ˈɛ-nčı. Adjectival stem, formally derived from the noun ˈurum 'black substance' [ibid.]. Quoted as urˈum-e, pl. urˈum-e-ri in [Massenbach 1962: 239].
Kenuzi:urumm-e1
Hofmann 1986: 178. Quoted as urˈum-e, pl. urˈum-e-ri in [Massenbach 1962: 239].
Dilling:ur-i1
Kauczor 1920: 82. Plural form: ur-e.
Kadaru:wuɽ-u1
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Debri:urr-i1
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Karko:úr-ù1
Krell 2012: 49.
Wali:ūr-ì1
Krell 2012: 49.
Birgid:úːd-è1
Thelwall 1977: 199. Quoted as uːdi-a in [MacMichael 1920: 207].
Midob:úd-í1
Werner 1993: 137. Quoted as úd-ì in [Thelwall 1983: 110].
Number:9
Word:blood
Old Nubian:dis-1
Browne 1996: 46. Renders Greek αἱ̃μα.
Nobiin:díːs1
Werner 1987: 346; Bell 1970: 129. Quoted as diːs in [Lepsius 1880: 287].
Dongolawi:gˈɛːu2
Armbruster 1965: 78. Polysemy: 'blood / menses'. Quoted as geːw ~ geːu in [Massenbach 1965: 191].
Kenuzi:geːw2
Hofmann 1986: 72. Quoted as geːw ~ geːu in [Massenbach 1965: 191].
Dilling:ogor3
Kauczor 1920: 45. Graphically transcribed as o̺go̺r.
Kadaru:ogʋr3
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Debri:oːr3
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Karko:úgɔ̀3
Krell 2012: 43.
Wali:ōr3
Krell 2012: 43.
Birgid:igir3
Thelwall 1977: 199.
Midob:ǝ̀ggǝ́r3
Werner 1993: 141; Thelwall 1983: 110.
Number:10
Word:bone
Old Nubian:gisri- {gisri- ~ ŋisri-}1
Browne 1996: 32. Renders Greek ὀστου̃ν. The orthographic variant {ŋisri-} is met once as part of a toponym and is probably accidental. Cf. also kier- 'bone', a hapax in [Browne 1996: 90]: probably the same word (possibly a poorly written kisr-, with the variation between voiced and voiceless velar orthographically admissible).
Nobiin:gìsìr1
Werner 1987: 353. Plural form: gìsìr-kúː. Quoted as gisir in [Lepsius 1880: 312].
Dongolawi:kıhˈıːd1
Armbruster 1965: 122. Plural forms: kıhˈı̃d-ı ~ kˈıhıd-ı. Quoted as kiːd ~ koːd in [Massenbach 1962: 207].
Kenuzi:kiːd1
Hofmann 1986: 111. Polysemy: 'bone / nature, character / self'. Quoted as kiːd ~ koːd in [Massenbach 1962: 207].
Dilling:
Not attested.
Kadaru:kwedɛ1
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Debri:kwedu1
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Karko:kwīɛ̀dǝ̀1
Krell 2012: 43.
Wali:kwǐtù1
Krell 2012: 43.
Birgid:kìzí-dì1
Thelwall 1977: 199.
Midob:ǝ̀ː-dí1
Werner 1993: 141; Thelwall 1983: 110.
Number:11
Word:breast
Old Nubian:og-1
Browne 1996: 122. Renders Greek στήθος 'breast' in at least one context where the passage refers to man's chest / breast in general. Even if a special word for 'female breast' existed in Old Nubian, it is not attested.
Nobiin:óg1
Werner 1987: 371. Plural form: òg-ìː. Meaning glossed as 'rib cage' ('Brustkorb'), but in [Lepsius 1880: 374], the form og, pl. og-iː ~ ok-kuː is simply translated as 'breast' ('Brust'). Cf. also dùgússí, pl. dùgùssìː ~ dùgùssì-gúː in [Werner 1987: 347], where the meaning is glossed simply as 'breast' ('Brust'); however, in [Lepsius 1880: 289] the form dugussi ~ duŋussi is explicitly rendered as 'female breast' ('Weiberbrust'). Judging from the collective evidence, it seems safe to assume that óg is really 'male chest', as opposed to dùgússí 'female breast'.
Dongolawi:ˈog1
Armbruster 1965: 159. Polysemy: 'breast / bosom / fathom'. Plural form: ˈog-ı. Quoted as oːg in [Massenbach 1962: 222]. Distinct from ˈɛrtı 'female breast', actually glossed as 'mamma; teat' in [Armbruster 1965: 66].
Kenuzi:og1
Hofmann 1986: 141. Quoted as oːg in [Massenbach 1962: 222]. Distinct from erti 'female breast; udder' [Hofmann 1986: 59].
Dilling:ɔk-i1
Kauczor 1920: 48. Distinct from ɔl-i, pl. ol 'female breast' [ibid.].
Kadaru:ɔko #1
Thelwall 1978: 276. Meaning glossed as 'breasts'; it is not clear if the opposition between 'male breast' and 'female breast' was neutralized in Kadaru, but etymologically, this word does go back to the Proto-Nubian equivalent of 'male breast', so we tentatively include it on the list. Cf. also ɔ́gọ́ 'breast' in [Meinhof 1918: 90] (German 'Brust').
Debri:ɔku #1
Thelwall 1978: 276. Same notes as for Kadaru.
Karko:
Not attested; cf. ūr-dè 'breast(s)' (female) in [Krell 2012: 45].
Wali:
Not attested; cf. úl-dú 'breast(s)' (female) in [Krell 2012: 45].
Birgid:ogi1
Thelwall 1977: 200. Meaning glossed as 'chest', distinct from unne, pl. un-di 'female breast' [ibid.].
Midob:ǝ́ː1
Werner 1993: 140. Distinct from ár-tí '(female) breast' [Werner 1993: 82].
Number:12
Word:burn tr.
Old Nubian:ǯuk- {ǯouk-}1
Browne 1996: 192. Renders Greek καίω and its derivatives. Attested in transitive usage; eligible for inclusion.
Nobiin:ʓùgé-èr1
Werner 1987: 359. Used both in the transitive and intransitive senses. Quoted as ʓug-e in [Lepsius 1880: 322]. Same root as in ʓùg 'hot' q.v.
Dongolawi:ǯˈug-ur1
Armbruster 1965: 95. The transitive verbal stem is a regular causative formation from intransitive ǯˈug 'to catch fire, take fire, ignite, burn' [ibid.]. Quoted as ǯug-ur in [Massenbach 1962: 203].
Kenuzi:ǯug1
Hofmann 1986: 86. Quoted as ǯug in [Massenbach 1962: 203].
Dilling:ot-ig2
Kauczor 1920: 134. Graphically transcribed as o̺t-ig. Transitive verb.
Kadaru:wot-ogi2
Thelwall 1978: 276. Presumably a transitive form (parallel forms from non-Hill Nubian languages are all transitive in Thelwall's comparative wordlists).
Debri:waši2
Thelwall 1978: 276. Presumably a transitive form (parallel forms from non-Hill Nubian languages are all transitive in Thelwall's comparative wordlists).
Karko:úrā-ngà3
Krell 2012: 48.
Wali:ómí4
Krell 2012: 48.
Birgid:tuɲ5
Thelwall 1978: 276. Presumably a transitive form (parallel forms from non-Hill Nubian languages are all transitive in Thelwall's comparative wordlists). Not attested in [Thelwall 1977].
Midob:úllì-6
Werner 1993: 137. Transitive stem, but there is no root distinction from the corresponding intransitive stem, cf. úll-nán 'to burn (intr.)' in [Thelwall 1983: 110].
Number:13
Word:claw(nail)
Old Nubian:
Not attested.
Nobiin:sun-ti ~ sut-ti #1
Lepsius 1880: 388. Plural form: sun-tiː ~ sun-ti-guː. Attested only in an old source, but with reliable external correlations. Final -ti is an old fossilized singulative marker.
Hofmann 1986: 158. Quoted as sut-ti in [Massenbach 1962: 230].
Dilling:šun-di1
Kauczor 1920: 48.
Kadaru:
Not attested.
Debri:
Not attested.
Karko:
Not attested, but cf. šúkúl-é 'claw' [Krell 2012: 44].
Wali:
Not attested, but cf. šùɛ̀ 'claw' [Krell 2012: 44].
Birgid:sun-di1
Thelwall 1977: 204. Plural form: sunn-e.
Midob:súŋún-dí1
Werner 1993: 125. Quoted as súŋù-dì in [Thelwall 1983: 110].
Number:14
Word:cloud
Old Nubian:ŋiǯǯ-1
Browne 1996: 201. Renders Greek νεφέλη.
Nobiin:géːm-1
Bell 1970: 135. Borrowed from Arabic ʁayma-. Quoted as geːm ~ gamaːm in [Lepsius 1880: 307, 310].
Dongolawi:nˈičč ~ nˈiččı1
Armbruster 1965: 153. Plural forms: nˈiččı-nč ~ nˈiččı-nčı. Polysemy: 'cloud / mist'. Armbruster's internal etymology that derives the word from the verb niǯ 'to sew' (i. e. '*cloth; sc. that veils the scene') seems far-fetched. Alternately, cf. also the Arabic borrowing sahˈaːb 'cloud' [Armbruster 1965: 171].
Kenuzi:ɣem-1
Hofmann 1986: 71. Borrowed from Arabic ʁayma-.
Dilling:dwɛ-d1
Kauczor 1920: 45.
Kadaru:de-du1
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Debri:dɔi-du1
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Karko:dwú-ìd1
Krell 2012: 48.
Wali:dwí-nî1
Krell 2012: 48.
Birgid:nɑːsi-di1
Thelwall 1977: 200.
Midob:tèɕɕì-dì ~ tǝ̀ɕɕí-dí1
Werner 1993: 129. Quoted as tǝ́ɕɕè-dì in [Thelwall 1983: 110].
Number:15
Word:cold
Old Nubian:
Not attested.
Nobiin:ór-kí1
Werner 1987: 371. Adjectival stem. Cf. also the verbal stem: órkì-r ~ òrkî-r 'to be cool, cold'. Quoted as orkir in [Lepsius 1880: 376]; cf. also orom 'cold (adj., n.)' [Lepsius 1880: 377], confirming that -ki is a suffixal component.
Dongolawi:orˈoːfɛ-l1
Armbruster 1965: 232. Adjectival derivative from the verbal stem orˈoːfɛ 'to become (get) cold' [ibid.]. Applied to objects or people; for 'cold weather', the simpler stem ˈod is used instead. Quoted as oroːfe-l ~ oroːfe-buː-l 'cold (of objects)', od 'cold (of weather)' in [Massenbach 1962: 222-223].
Kenuzi:oroːke-l1
Hofmann 1986: 143. Adjectival derivative from the verbal stem oroːke 'to be cold' [ibid.]. Furthermore cf. also od 'cold (n.)', od-os 'to be cold' [Hofmann 1986: 141]. Quoted as oroːke-l 'cold (of objects)', od 'cold (of weather)' in [Massenbach 1962: 222-223].
Dilling:
Not attested. Cf. kɛd 'cold (n.)', kɛdir-er- 'to freeze (smbd.)' [Kauczor 1920: 122]. However, cf. also urgi 'cold', urki 'make it cold' in [Jabr el Dar 2006: 187].
Werner 1993: 135; Thelwall 1983: 110. Cf. also òròwì-yâm 'it is cold' in [Werner 1993: 110]. We prefer to include the lexeme that is attested in both of the available sources, even though òròwi-yâm boasts more transparent etymological connections.
Number:16
Word:come
Old Nubian:ki-1
Browne 1996: 91. The main entry is listed as kir- ~ kar- ~ kur- {kour} ~ ker-, where -r- is the imperfective aspect marker. The original root form is ki-; other variants are rare and due either to specific morphophonological conditions or orthographic peculiarities.
Nobiin:kí-ìl1
Werner 1987: 48, 362. Werner analyzes this form as a contraction from *kír-ìr (he probably means *kír-ìl), but -r- would not be a part of the root in any case (see notes on Old Nubian). Quoted as ki-r-e in [Lepsius 1880: 345].
Dongolawi:tˈaː2
Armbruster 1965: 188; Massenbach 1962: 232. Less frequent quasi-synonyms include bıdˈaː 'to come' [Armbruster 1965: 36] and ǯˈuː [Armbruster 1965: 91], the latter normally with the meaning 'to go' q.v.
Kenuzi:taː2
Hofmann 1986: 164; Massenbach 1962: 232. This is the most common equivalent for the meaning 'come'; less frequent synonyms include bidaː [Hofmann 1986: 40; Massenbach 1962: 178] and suːg [Hofmann 1986: 157] (actually = 'to hurry, hasten', with 'to come' listed as a possible secondary meaning).
Dilling:ta2
Kauczor 1920: 109.
Kadaru:ti-ri2
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Debri:tɔ-rɛ2
Thelwall 1978: 276.
Karko:tā-mʓà2
Krell 2012: 47.
Wali:té-rí2
Krell 2012: 47.
Birgid:ki1
Thelwall 1978: 276. Quoted as ki- ~ kiː- in [MacMichael 1920: 210-211], cf. ama Fašerei ki-eːn 'I came from Fasher'. Not attested in [Thelwall 1977].
Midob:ìː-1
Werner 1993: 92. Quoted as ìí "come!" in [Thelwall 1983: 110].
Number:16
Word:come
Old Nubian:ta-2
Browne 1996: 166. The main entry is listed as tar-, where -r- is the imperfective aspect marker. Both ki- and ta- render Greek ἔρχομαι without any clear distinction between the two; we have to include both as potential synonyms.
Nobiin:
Dongolawi:
Kenuzi:
Dilling:
Kadaru:
Debri:
Karko:
Wali:
Birgid:
Midob:
Number:17
Word:die
Old Nubian:diː- {di- ~ dei- ~ diei-}1
Browne 1996: 44. Renders Greek ἀποθνῄσκω. The verb ŋes(ir)- is occasionally found as the equivalent of 'die', but its primary and most frequent meaning is 'to cease, to rest' [Browne 1996: 199].
Nobiin:dí-ìl1
Werner 1987: 345. Cf. dìy-à 'death' [Bell 1970: 132], ā=dí 'he is dying' [Bell 1970: 135]. Quoted as diː-e ~ diː-oːs-e in [Lepsius 1880: 285].
Dongolawi:dˈiː1
Armbruster 1969: 49. Quoted as diː in [Massenbach 1962: 181].
Kenuzi:diː1
Hofmann 1986: 49. Polysemy: 'to die / to extinguish'. Quoted as diː in [Massenbach 1962: 181].
Dilling:ti1
Kauczor 1920: 129.
Kadaru:
Not attested.
Debri:
Not attested.
Karko:tı́-1
Krell 2012: 46. The exact quoted form is tı́-mīnʓà 'he died'.
Wali:tí-1
Krell 2012: 46. The exact quoted form is tí-ɲúā 'he died'.
Birgid:ti-n- #1
MacMichael 1920: 213. Cf. the actual forms: Mugur ti-n-aːrum 'the Sultan has died'; usoka ti-n-alla 'where did he die?'. Morphological structure of these forms is not entirely clear, but external comparison suggests that ti- is the root and -n- is a suffixal verbal stem component. Not attested in [Thelwall 1977].
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