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.)