تفنگة

• تفنكة (tfinke, tfinge) (alternative spelling)

Likely originally *تفنّكة (*tfinnke, “instance of horsing around or lying”), composed of a verbal noun resembling *تْفِنُّك (*tfinnuk, “horsing around, lying”) +‎ ـِة (-e, instance noun suffix). The term *تْفِنُّك (*tfinnuk) would be an old form V verbal noun of a hypothetical verb *تْفَنَّك (*tfannak, “to horse around or lie”), which can be believed to have existed as dictionaries record the form II فَنَّك (fannak, “to horse around or lie”). This last term is a denominal verb of Arabic فَنَك (fanak, “fennec fox”), making it and all other terms at hand partially cognate to English fennec.

Not related to Iraqi Arabic تُفُنْگَة (tufunga, “rifle, gun”), which is borrowed from Ottoman Turkish تفنك (tüfenk, “rifle”). For the retention of the form V verbal noun, compare تْعِنِّي (tʕinni, “colitis, diarrhea”), which aneponymously retains it as well. Outside of such fossils, productive verbal nouns of this shape are restricted to the closely related Cypriot Arabic language, non-sedentary Levantine varieties like that of the Negev, and quadriliteral verbs in certain sedentary Levantine varieties; see explanation at تْتِرْتُق (ttirtuʔ, “pattering”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈtfin.ɡe/

تْفِنْگِة • (tfinge) f

1. hoax, prank, false alarm