16: Verbs: Quadriliterals - Perfective


The fourth category of verbs are those which have four (quadriliteral) or sometimes five (quinquiliteral) root consonants. These are fairly common in Ge’ez and the form itself has no particular meaning / effect. Quadriliteral verbs often emerge from borrowed terms from other languages. For instance, the verb መንኰሰ (menkʷese) "to become a monk, to retreat into asceticism" probably came from the Greek term μοναχός (monakhos) "solitary".


መንኰሰ [menkʷese = to become a monk] – Q-stem, Perfect

SINGULAR
PLURAL
1st Person
መንኰስኩ
menkʷesku
መንኰስክነ
menkʷeskne
2nd Person
መንኰስከ
menkʷeske (m.)
መንኰስክሙ
menkʷeskəmu (m.)
መንኰስኪ
menkʷeski (f.)
መንኰስክን
menkʷeskən (f.)
3rd Person
መንኰሰ
menkʷese(m.)
መንኰሱ
menkʷesu (m.)
መንኰሰት
menkʷeset(f.)
መንኰሳ
menkʷesa (f.)