ኢ

Modified form of አ (ʾ).

ኢ (ʾi)

1. A symbol of the Ge'ez abugida, transliterated as ʾi.

Perhaps from Proto-Semitic *ay- (“not”), compare Soqotri اي (ʔē, “not”), Biblical Hebrew אִי (ʔī, “not”), Phoenician ʔy (“not”), Ugaritic iy (“not”), Akkadian ay, ē (“not”).

ኢ • (ʾi)

1. Negating adverb which is always prefixed to the verb, "not".
   • Matthew 15:23, Ethiopic text from Ran HaCohen, 'Biblia Veteris Testamenti Aethiopica'

     ወኢየውሥአ ፡ ኢየሱስ ፡ ቃለ ።

     wäʾiyäwśəʾä ʾiyäsus ḳalä .

     But Jesus did not answer a word.

   • Matthew 5:20, Ethiopic text from Ran HaCohen, 'Biblia Veteris Testamenti Aethiopica'

     ናሁ ፡ እምበልክሙ ፡ ከመ ፡ እመ ፡ ኢፈድፈደ ፡ ጸድቅክሙ ፡ ፈድፈደ ፡ እም ፡ ጸሐፍት ፡ ወእምፈሪሳውያን ፡ ኢትበውኡ ፡ ውስተ ፡ መንግሥተ ፡ ሰማያት ።

     nahu ʾəmbälkəmu kämä ʾəmä ʾifädfädä ṣädḳəkmu fädfädä ʾəm ṣäḥäft wäʾməfärisawyan ʾitəbäwʾu wəstä mängəśtä sämayat .

     For I tell you, if your righteousness is not greater than the legal experts and the Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

   • Psalm 7:13, Ethiopic text from Ran HaCohen, 'Biblia Veteris Testamenti Aethiopica'

     ወእመሰ ፡ ኢተመየጥክሙ ፡ ሰይፎ ፡ ይመልኅ ፤ ቀስቶኒ ፡ ወተረ ፡ ወአስተዳለወ ።

     wäʾmäsä ʾitämäyäṭkəmu säyfo yəmälḫ ; ḳästoni wätärä wäʾästädaläwä .

     If you do not turn back, he will sharpen his sword; his very bow he will bend and make ready.

2. Negation prefix of nouns and adjectives, "un-", "in-", "dis-":
   • Colossians 2:23, Ethiopic text from Ran HaCohen, 'Biblia Veteris Testamenti Aethiopica'

     ዘያመስልዎ ፡ ጥበበ ፡ በእንተ ፡ ትሕትና ፡ ልብ ፡ ወፍርሀተ ፡ እግዚአብሔር ። ወኢምሂከ ፡ ሥጋ ፡ አልቦቱ ፡ ክብር ፡ ምንተኒ ፡ አላ ፡ ውእቱ ፡ ዘመልዕልተ ፡ ሥጋ ።

     zäyamäsləwo ṭəbäbä bäʾnətä təḥtəna ləb wäfrəhätä ʾəgziʾäbḥer . wäʾiməhikä śəga ʾälbotu kəbr məntäni ʾäla wəʾtu zämälʿəltä śəga .

     (these rules) which imitate wisdom regarding humility of the heart, the worship of God, and disregard for the body have no value whatsoever, rather it is that which is the exaltation of the body.

1. ኢ negating a sentence may be prefixed to nouns for emphasis:
   • Henoch 45:2, Ethiopic text from Ran HaCohen, 'Biblia Veteris Testamenti Aethiopica'

     ወኢሰመየ (for HaCohen እሰማየ!) ፡ የዐርጉ ፡ ወኢምድረ ፡ ይበጽሑ

     wäʾisämäyä (for HaCohen ʾəsämayä!) yäʿärgu wäʾimdərä yəbäṣḥu

     neither to heaven do they ascend nor the earth do they reach

2. Negation before nouns may occur with negation of the verb itself:
   • Jeremiah 9:16, Ethiopic text from Cambridge University Ethiopic manuscript Add 1570, dated 1588/1589, page 204v, column 1, lines 5-7:

     ወእዝርዎሙ ፡ ውስተ ፡ በሐውርት ፡ ኀበ ፡ ኢየአምሩ ፡ ውስተ ፡ አሕዛብ ፡ ኀበ ፡ ኢየአምሩ ፡ ኢእሙንቱ ፡ ወኢአበዊሆሙ

     wäʾzərwomu wəstä bäḥäwrət ḫäbä ʾiyäʾämru wəstä ʾäḥzab ḫäbä ʾiyäʾämru ʾiʾmuntu wäʾiʾäbäwihomu

     I will scatter them to nations to where they will not know, to the peoples, to where neither they nor their fathers will know

3. This construction is common with the expression ኢ...ወኢ (ʾi...wäʾi) ወኢ...ወኢ (wäʾi...wäʾi, “neither...nor”).
4. When prefixed to a verb beginning with እ, the sequence ኢአ becomes ኢየ.
5. When prefixed to a verb beginning with እ, the sequence ኢእ becomes ኢይ.
6. When prefixed to a verb beginning with ኣ, the sequence ኢኣ becomes ኢያ.

• Dillmann, August (1865) “ኢ”, in Lexicon linguae aethiopicae cum indice latino (in Latin), Leipzig: T. O. Weigel
• Leslau, Wolf (1991) “ʾi”, in Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 1a