The words we use to describe the religion, history, and artifacts of Ancient Egypt are a strange mishmash of words that have French, Greek, English, Arabic - and yes, sometimes even Egyptian - origins. As you read more about the fascinating and complex world of Ancient Egypt, it helps to familiarize yourself with the terms that come up the most often. It’s probably a good idea to bookmark this page for easy reference - especially if you’re considering a visit.
Below is a massive list of Egypt words - that is, words related to Egypt. The words at the top of the list are the ones most associated with Egypt, and as you go down the relatedness becomes more slight. You can get the definition(s) of a word in the list below by tapping the question-mark icon next to it.
By default, the words are sorted by relevance/relatedness, but you can also get the most common Egypt terms by using the menu below, and there's also the option to sort the words alphabetically so you can get Egypt words starting with a particular letter. You can also filter the word list so it only shows words that are also related to another word of your choosing.
The frequency data is extracted from the English Wikipedia corpus, and updated regularly. So although you might see some synonyms of Egypt in the list below, many of the words below will have other relationships with Egypt - you could see a word with the exact opposite meaning in the word list, for example.
If you're looking for names related to Egypt (e.g. business names, or pet names), this page might help you come up with ideas. The results below obviously aren't all going to be applicable for the actual name of your pet/blog/startup/etc., but hopefully they get your mind working and help you see the links between various concepts. If your pet/blog/etc. If you don't find what you're looking for in the list below, or if there's some sort of bug and it's not displaying Egypt related words, please send me feedback using this page. Thanks for using the site - I hope it is useful to you!
Read also: The Language of the Pharaohs
That's about all the Egypt related words we've got! I hope this list of Egypt terms was useful to you in some way or another. The words down here at the bottom of the list will be in some way associated with Egypt, but perhaps tenuously (if you've currenly got it sorted by relevance, that is). If you have any feedback for the site, please share it here, but please note this is only a hobby project, so I may not be able to make regular updates to the site. Have a nice day!
Ancient Egypt Related Words
Below is a massive list of ancient Egypt words - that is, words related to ancient Egypt. The top 4 are: Egypt, pharaoh, nile and nubia. You can get the definition(s) of a word in the list below by tapping the question-mark icon next to it.
The words at the top of the list are the ones most associated with ancient Egypt, and as you go down the relatedness becomes more slight. By default, the words are sorted by relevance/relatedness, but you can also get the most common ancient Egypt terms by using the menu below, and there's also the option to sort the words alphabetically so you can get ancient Egypt words starting with a particular letter. You can also filter the word list so it only shows words that are also related to another word of your choosing.
You can highlight the terms by the frequency with which they occur in the written English language using the menu below. The frequency data is extracted from the English Wikipedia corpus, and updated regularly. So although you might see some synonyms of ancient Egypt in the list below, many of the words below will have other relationships with ancient Egypt - you could see a word with the exact opposite meaning in the word list, for example.
If you're looking for names related to ancient Egypt (e.g. business names, or pet names), this page might help you come up with ideas. The results below obviously aren't all going to be applicable for the actual name of your pet/blog/startup/etc., but hopefully they get your mind working and help you see the links between various concepts. If your pet/blog/etc. If you don't find what you're looking for in the list below, or if there's some sort of bug and it's not displaying ancient Egypt related words, please send me feedback using this page. Thanks for using the site - I hope it is useful to you!
Read also: The Vital Grasslands of Eastern Africa
That's about all the ancient Egypt related words we've got! I hope this list of ancient Egypt terms was useful to you in some way or another. The words down here at the bottom of the list will be in some way associated with ancient Egypt, but perhaps tenuously (if you've currenly got it sorted by relevance, that is). If you have any feedback for the site, please share it here, but please note this is only a hobby project, so I may not be able to make regular updates to the site. Have a nice day!
The way Reverse Dictionary works is pretty simple. It simply looks through tonnes of dictionary definitions and grabs the ones that most closely match your search query. For example, if you type something like "longing for a time in the past", then the engine will return "nostalgia".
The engine has indexed several million definitions so far, and at this stage it's starting to give consistently good results (though it may return weird results sometimes). It acts a lot like a thesaurus except that it allows you to search with a definition, rather than a single word. I made this tool after working on Related Words which is a very similar tool, except it uses a bunch of algorithms and multiple databases to find similar words to a search query.
That project is closer to a thesaurus in the sense that it returns synonyms for a word (or short phrase) query, but it also returns many broadly related words that aren't included in thesauri. So this project, Reverse Dictionary, is meant to go hand-in-hand with Related Words to act as a word-finding and brainstorming toolset. For those interested, I also developed Describing Words which helps you find adjectives and interesting descriptors for things (e.g. In case you didn't notice, you can click on words in the search results and you'll be presented with the definition of that word (if available).
Please note that Reverse Dictionary uses third party scripts (such as Google Analytics and advertisements) which use cookies.
Read also: Deep Dive into Yoruba Verbal Expression
Hieroglyphs and Language
In 1928/1929 Alan Gardiner published an overview of hieroglyphs, Gardiner's sign list, the basic modern standard. It describes 763 signs in 26 categories (A-Z, roughly). In Unicode, the block Egyptian Hieroglyphs (2009) includes 1071 signs, organization based on Gardiner's list.
Examples of hieroglyphs and their meanings:
- A1: Ideogram for tp, "head"; other uses related to actions of the head; (example "the tp of the rebels", 'the "chief" of the rebels'). Also for tp, see archaic dagger.
- D4: 1. Bil. hr-(ḥr) 2. Ideogram for 'face' 3. Ideogram or det. for the "nose", fnḏ/fnd, det.
- D21: 1. Egyp. bil. ns.
- D36: 1. Determinative for šdw, "belly"; phon. for šd 2. Bil.
- F20: 1. Determinative for sd, "tail"; then phon., sd 2. Ideogram or det. To be long, length, to extend
- G7: 1. Egyp. bil. nḥ, for the bird; phon. for nḥ; 2. Ideas of petition, supplicate, beseech; for Egyptian language nḥ-t, nḥḥ-t, oil, unguent, equivalent of Coptic language, "ⲛⲉϩ"; 3. Bil.
- G47: 1. the heron-like Bennu 2. bil.
- M17: 1. Unil. w 2. Bil.
- N29: 1. Determinative for wšn, Egyptian: "twist the neck (of a bird)" 2. Phonetically sn(tj), (snṯ) 3.
- I9: 1. Phoneme for pq 2. det. for feminine in goddess names, wives, etc.; det. Amphibious animals, reptiles, etc. Ideogram of det. Frog (lit. Egyptian biliteral sign jn; det.
- V28: 1. Phonetic value ẖꜣ, from name, ideogram ẖjt 2. Bil. Title preceding the Throne name of a king.
- M1: 1. Determinative for various plants or flowers 2. Two phonemes for "cane", and "canes", ḥn-(from ḥnj), js-(from jsw). 3. flower (garland), plant, branch, seed 4.
- M13: 1. Ideogram & Phoneme for šꜣ, "flooded country" 2. A. Ideogram or det. in sšn, lotus flower; B. Greek language 'souson'; C. also det.
- M26: Alternate version of M25 𓇖. Flowering rush; also Gardiner nos.
- O49: Ideogram or det. Alternative plural marker. Wabwi, Two Scepters?
- O1: Buildings, parts of buildings, etc. Great (esp.
- O4: Great (esp.
- O39: 1. Ideogram or det. for jnb, "wall"; 2. (a det. Time, occasion, etc.
- S29: A. Determinative for wrs', the "headrest"; B. headrest is also Egyptian language, wꜣrst, (Coptic language, "ⲟⲩⲣⲁⲥ"). C. Abydine fetish of Osiris.
- S40: Abydine fetish of Osiris.
- R4: Emblem of Min.
- R22: Emblem of Neith.
- N18: Emblem of Neith.
- V31: ’Sema-Tawy’, heraldic symbol of the unification of the two lands.
- S1: Crowns, dress, staves, etc.
- S3: Double crown (sḫmty) (lit.
- S4: Double crown (sḫmty) (lit. khepresh-helmet, a.k.a.
- V1: 1. knot; to tie in a knot, fetter; 2. Bil. "top", or "first""first", "foremost" Ideogram in tp, tpy; det.
- V30: 1. Tril. rwḏ; Ideo. for "bowstring" 2. items that are "hard, durable, strong, rooted," thus "growth, growing" 3. Ideogram or det.
- Z1: 1. "single" items; "1", 'each', etc.; 2. Bil.
- Z4: Bil. sn; Ideo. See moon, (also iꜥh); A. plough, break ground; B. field laborer, peasant; C. field; D. det.
- O50: 1. trap, bird-trap, (the device); 2. Ideogram or det.
- D46: 1. Bil. ẖr; 2. bil. mr, for "beloved" 2. Bil.
- U33: 1. Determinative for mnḫ, for "cut", "give shape to" 2. Ideogram in mnḫ, for "to be excellent" 3.
- U36: 1. Ideogram in ḥmt, the name for the 'hand drill tool'; also ḥmt for words of "art", "artisan", etc. 2. Ideo. or det.
- N16: 1. bil. ḏꜣ; Ideogram for "forest" Emphatically used with words as ḏꜥḏꜥ constructs 2. Bil.
- T9: 1. Egyptian biliteral sign ḥm, for a fuller's club; 2. Ideogram and det.
- D54: 1. to lift up, support, etc. 2. Rope, fibre, baskets, bags, etc. bil.
- V13: bil. Bil. sq, ḫsrwꜣḥ bil.-tril.
- Q3: bil. sq (tril.
- Q6: 1. Biliteral sq; "to clean", "dust"; 2. Egyptian for "everything", every; major use: "Lord", (or feminine, Lady) Bil.
- N41: Unil. festival (Equivalent to Gardiner W4, Jubilee Pavilion (hieroglyph))
- O8: det. in sš, 'alabaster', or "precious stone"; det. A. Determinative for the "vessel", Egyptian language, jꜥb-(no. 5 of 6); det. for jꜥb (1 & 2), 1: to approach, to come towards, to meet; 2: "to present a gift", to make an offering, 'an offering'; B. jꜥ, jꜥj, bathing; jꜥw, food, morning meal; jꜥb-(no. 3 of 6), uses Gardiner F16, as det. for "to comb"; the other use of 'to comb', is for 'to card wool' and also uses the Horn hieroglyph, but is the equivalent word: b'-(no. 2, of 3); (no.
- R19: 1. like, as, according to, inasmuch as, since, as well as, together with; all adverbial forms, some as a segue; 2. early forms use other hieroglyphs; 3. Phoneme for nw; det.
- X1: 1. Determinative for the 'decorated bread loaf', pꜣt; phoneme for pꜣ; meanings of: stuff, matter, substance; for 'bread': dough, cake, bread, offering, food, product; 2. Extensive dictionary entries beginning at "Mn"-(or men), since the definitions center around permanence, enduring, etc.
- Y1: 1. Ideogram or det. in ibꜣ, "pawn", draughtsman; phoneme for ibꜣ; 2. Det. A. Ideo. for "sistrum", sššt, (or sḫm(=sistrum)); det. in sššt; B. Plural, majority, collective concept (e.g. plural, majority, collective concept (e.g. unil., equivalent of
Below is a table summarizing some of the key hieroglyphs and their meanings:
| Gardiner Code | Description | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Head | "Head," "chief" |
| D4 | Face | "Face," "nose" |
| D36 | Belly | "Belly" |
| F20 | Tail | "Tail," "length" |
| M13 | Lotus Flower | "Flooded country," "lotus flower" |
| O39 | Wall | "Wall" |
| V1 | Knot | "Knot," "top," "first" |
These are just a few examples of the many hieroglyphs used in ancient Egypt. Each symbol carries rich meaning and provides insight into their culture and beliefs.
Key Terms in Ancient Egypt
Talk Like an Egyptian. Do you know your ba from your ka? What’s a vizier? How about a cartouche? The terms we use to describe the religion, history and artifacts of Ancient Egypt are a strange mishmash of words that have French, Greek, English, Arabic - and yes, sometimes even Egyptian - origins.
Here's a glossary of essential terms associated with Ancient Egypt:
- ankh: The hieroglyphic symbol for life, similar to a cross but with a loop in place of the upper arm.
- atef: The atef crown was made up of the White Crown of Upper Egypt with red ostrich feathers on either side.
- ba: The ba is, essentially, the concept of the soul.
- barque: These thin boats that curve up at either end were the transports of the gods, especially during festival processions. In temple sanctuaries, models of barques held statues of a deity.
- Book of the Dead: This is the modern name ascribed to a collection of 200 hymns, rituals and spells that allowed the deceased to travel safely through the underworld and enter the afterlife.
- canopic jars: Four containers used to store the preserved internal organs of the deceased (the lungs, stomach, liver and intestines) extracted during the mummification process.
- djed: A representation of the spine, it symbolized stability. A djed amulet was often placed in coffins, where the backbone of the deceased would lay, to ensure eternal life.
- Duat: The underworld, home of the gods Osiris, Anubis and Ma'at, as well as many grotesque monsters. The sun deity Ra travels through the Duat every night, where he battles the serpent Apep, or Apophis.
- Eye of Horus (aka udjat eye or wedjat eye): A falcon’s eye that acts as a protective talisman and symbolizes rebirth after death.
- faience: A powdered quartz paste that ranges in color from turquoise to teal.
- hieroglyphs: Think of them as the emojis of their day. Often mistakenly called hieroglyphics, they make up the system of pictorial writing used in Ancient Egypt.
- Horus name: Beginning in the Predynastic Period, pharaohs would take on an additional name, cementing their relationship with the falcon-headed god Horus.
- hypostyle hall: The reception area of a temple.
- ka: The best way to describe this is as a soul - it’s someone’s other self, what makes them unique. It’s with a person throughout their life, but upon death the ka and the body become separate. The body has to be preserved, and the ka nourished, or it will starve and cease to exist.
- Lower Egypt: The Ancient Egyptian worldview was upside-down compared to ours. Lower Egypt was the northern half of Egypt, so called because the Nile flows north before entering the Mediterranean Sea.
- ma’at (aka maat): The principle of balance and cosmic order, personified by a goddess of the same name.
- mammisi: A birth house, where a woman would go to deliver a child and recover for two weeks or so.
- mastaba: A type of tomb first created in the Old Kingdom. From the Arabic word for “bench,” they were rectangular and flat-roofed, with a substructure belowground.
- nemes: A striped head covering worn by pharoahs. It covered the brow and skull, hung down on the side to rest on the shoulders, and was drawn together in the back in a sort of ponytail.
- Opet: A festival held during the inundation, or flooding of the Nile.
- papyrus: The writing surface used by Egyptian scribes.
- pharaoh: The supreme ruler of Ancient Egypt.
- pylon: A massive gateway leading into a temple.
- Pyramid Texts: The earliest religious texts of Ancient Egypt. These spells, religious beliefs and myths were inscribed on the walls of Fifth and Sixth Dynasty pyramids (2465-2150 BCE). They were used to magically transform the deceased into the god of the afterlife, Osiris.
- rekhyt: A stylized lapwing bird with wings spread and human arms raised in adoration, representing the general populace or the pharaoh's subjects.
- sarcophagus: A large stone container that held a mummy's coffin.
- senet: A game played in Ancient Egypt. No one knows the rules, but they think it was a bit like chess.
- sistrum: A sacred rattle made of a wood, metal or clay frame set loosely with crossbars strung with small metal discs.
- sphinx: A mythological beast with the body of a lion that usually had the head of a pharaoh or god.
- Upper Egypt: The southern half of the kingdom of Ancient Egypt. It’s called Upper Egypt because the Nile River flows northward, from Upper to Lower Egypt.
- uraeus: A rearing cobra in a threatening pose that represented divine authority, worn as a crown or head ornament by Ancient Egyptian divinities and rulers.
- vizier: The second in command after the pharaoh.
- was scepter: A staff that’s often forked at the bottom and topped with the head of a creature, possibly the Bennu bird, a mythological heron who wears the atef crown. Carried by gods and pharaohs, the was scepter stood for power and dominion.
These terms offer a glimpse into the rich culture and history of Ancient Egypt.
Egyptian Symbols and Their Meanings
Ancient Egyptians revered various symbols, each carrying profound meanings. Here's an overview of some prominent symbols:
- Ankh: The Ankh is one of the most well-known symbols in ancient Egypt and has many meanings. To symbolize the union between men and women. Osiris and Isis’s coalition believed to flood the Nile River, bringing fertility to Egypt. It’s one of the Egyptian protection symbols.
- Eyes of Horus amulets: The eyes of Horus amulets thought to have healing powers in ancient Egypt. Horus and Seth were fighting over who would succeed Osiris as king after his death. Hator (or Toth) used magic to heal the eye, but Seth gave it to his father, Osiris, to bring him back to life.
- Eye of Ra symbol: The Eye of Ra symbol is a subject of debate. The Eye of Ra symbol has associated with a variety of Egyptian goddesses. In Egyptian mythology, Ra or Re is the god of the Sun.
- Ouroboros snake: One of the Sun’s symbols in Egyptian mythology is the Ouroboros snake. It’s represented the journeys of Aten, the sun disc. Atum, the first god, born from the primordial Nun (the water from which all creation sprang), is depicted as a serpent eating its tail. Phoenicians and Greeks shared the Ouroboros symbol, which used by the Egyptians.
- Amenta: Egyptian mythology depicts the land of the dead as Amenta (the earthly world). The western bank of the Nile, where the Egyptians interred their dead, came to symbolize this area over time.
- Egyptian Scarab beetle: Ancient Egyptians revered the Egyptian Scarab beetle as a sacred symbol. In reality, they mistook the sand-dwelling eggs of female dung beetles for their food supply.
- Djed symbol: It known initially as the Ptah symbol, but the cult of Osiris eventually adopted the Djed symbol. While his body is still there, this may be true.
- Ba: Ba regarded item uniqueness as a distinctive characteristic. According to the Coffin Texts, Ba is generated after death when Ka, the essence of life, joins Ba.
- Hedjet: Hedjet, the White Crown, one of Egypt’s two royal crowns, represented the kingdom of Upper Egypt.
- Shen: The Shen is a spiral circle representing a god. It believed to signify divine protection.
- Uraeus: Uraeus is an ancient Egyptian symbol emblem represented by a rising snake.
- Stars: In Egyptian mythology, the stars known as “followers of Osiris” and associated with deceased spirits in Duat, the Underworld.
- Flail (Nekhakha): It symbolizes the state’s control over its people in ancient Egypt. The Flail (Nekhakha) is also a royal power emblem.
- Menat: Menat, who closely affiliated with Hathor and Ihy, his son, recognized as the goddess Hathor’s emblem. Menat’s emblem symbolized life, fertility, birth, rebirth, power, and joy.
- Uas or Was Scepter: In ancient Egyptian society, the Uas or Was Scepter was a sign of authority.
- Tree of Life: The Tree of Life was at Heliopolis’ Temple of Ra, and it initially appeared during Ra Atum’s first visit to Heliopolis.
- Heart: This symbol symbolizes the heart. The expression “his heart broke apart” is often used to describe the death of a loved one. It is according to the Book of the Dead.
- Horizon: This symbol represents the horizon where the Sun rises and sets.
- Internal organs: The internal organs were removed and placed in four jars during mummification.
- Lotus flower: The lotus flower, which symbolized Upper Egypt, is now extinct. According to a belief, there was once a gigantic lotus sprouting out of the muck at the beginning of time.
- Sistrum: It had a wooden or metal frame with loose metal strips and discs that generated noise. The god Horus took a model in his battle with Seth.
- Eye of Ra: It is a picture of the sun god Ra’s powerful eye.
Most Important Ancient Egyptian Symbols // Egypt Mythology
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