Virgin

[epchois_nai_nan]

Oudjai khen ep-chois na-esnew

I would like to know the Coptic word for "Virgin", since I am writing a Coptic translation of a text and would like to avoid using the Greek loan word "Parthenos".

It would also help to know the Coptic word that is the equivalent of 'Khoros' (chorus) in Greek.

Mioden emasho.
Oudjai

[Admin]

In Bohairic I don't think there is one
In Sahidic it is ⲣⲟⲟⲩⲛⲉ - ⲣⲁⲩⲛⲉ
In Akhmimic it is ⲣⲁⲟⲩⲛⲉ
In Faiomic  it is ⲗⲁⲩⲛⲓ

If I were you, I would have used ⲣⲁⲩⲛⲓ to mean virgin in Bohairic. but of course this is up to you
my reference: Crum coptic dictionary page 306 column b

[IbrahimLeiden]

Dear All,
In Bohairic, You can use (rwouni).
Regards

[Admin]

does this word exists in a dictionary or you are just suggesting it?

[IbrahimLeiden]

It is in Magdy 3iad's Dictionary, the one in my hand now, but I think it is also in Crum and Abd el nour.

Regards

[Admin]

It is not in Crum, or at least i didn't find it there. please correct me if I am wrong

[IbrahimLeiden]

In Crum, p. 306 b. it is not there , I do  not know why? Stange..... may be it is somewhere else as Crum's habit
You can check the corrections of Rodolph Kasser?
Or wait for me, I will check it soon!

Regardds

[IbrahimLeiden]

Hi
I looked it up, It has no origin in Hieroglyphs. The strange is that no western dictionary has it, I looked in dictionaries of Werner Vycichl, Crum, Kasser, Westendorf, Cerny and Barc and I did not find it, these dictionaries collected words only from texts. So in dictionaries like Abu Maqar p. 150 and Abd el Nor p. 330, and Magdy Youseff p. 338 you will find the word, and you should know that these dictionaries collected words from - in most- the authors's memory/mind.

Crum mentions (XPWouni) but it means some kind of tree!!!!!

One more note the word is not in Greek dictionary of Liddell and scott (the small one).

So, you can use the word carefully.

Regards

[Admin]

that's one reason for why I never rely on the Arabic dictionaries

[IbrahimLeiden]

There is no rule - in my opinion - at that generalization!
I think Abd El-Nor Dictionary is one of the best, even in comparison with Crum's!

Regards

[Anaksunamun]

Just like a post I previously replied to "Coptic word for 'nut'", I have also not found a true term for virgin unrelated to Greek. I don't believe they necessarily had a word for this.
I would assume they just said "a young wo/man, girl/boy" or had some colloquial term like "marriagable girl/boy"  and left it at that without getting into specifics and once the Greek conquest came with Christianity they needed a term for 'virgin' since it's an integral part of Christianity and the 'Virgin Mary'.