Skip to main content
Egyptian

Egyptian

5 9.9
The old language used in ancient Egypt by the pharaohs
  • noun
  • /ɪˈdʒɪpʃən/
  • Archaic
: egipcio antiguo
  • The hieroglyphics found in the tomb reveal much about the ancient Egyptian culture.
  • the ancient Egyptians

Examples

  • I used to wonder whether any ancient Egyptian was over 5 ft 2 height.

  • The first written word for brain came from the Egyptian hieroglyphics.

  • Whatever the method the ancient Egyptians used, it was a difficult process.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Such disasters were known to the Egyptians as "chaos."

    Academic text (2003)
  • Most ancient Egyptians were bound to various royal or temple establishments.

    Academic text (2011)
  • According to the historical record, the ancient Egyptians learned to harvest honey at least 6,000 years ago.

    Blog text (7)
  • Here, the notion of palimpsest refers to the parchment scroll used by the ancient Egyptians for the purpose of accounting.

    Academic text (2009)
  • But for ancient Egyptians, this 22-mile-long edge of the western desert from Dashur to Giza was one vast burying ground.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Many scholars study ancient Egyptian to understand the historical texts from thousands of years ago.

  • The ancient Egyptian language has provided insights into the civilization's beliefs and practices.

Synonyms

Egyptian language
vsEgyptian
1 9.9

A way people spoke and wrote in ancient Egypt that is no longer spoken

is the shorter single word label often used as an adjective

Idioms

1 8.7

To move with bent arms and a stiff posture like the dance from the song

Compounds

Cotton grown in Egypt with long fibers that is very soft, strong, and long-lasting

1 5.3

A house cat from Egypt that people kept and loved long ago

Egyptian cobra
  • South African
1 7.5

A large venomous African snake often shown on Pharaohs' crowns

The basic unit of money used in Egypt, equal to 100 piasters

A way people spoke and wrote in ancient Egypt that is no longer spoken

A god or goddess worshipped in ancient Egypt

An Islamic group in Egypt that used violence to try to replace the government

An ancient kingdom along the Nile in northeast Africa ruled by kings called pharaohs

A small white vulture with a yellow face and thin bill that lives in Africa and southern Asia

A wild animal like a small dog from northern African deserts that hunts at night

A kind of onion that makes little bulbs on top of its stem and spreads by them

A white water lily that grows on water in Egypt and nearby regions, once sacred to the ancient Egyptians

Egyptian bean
  • Indian
1 8.4

A climbing plant with purple flowers and dark red pods that have edible seeds and are used as a vegetable

A creeping grass with finger-like spikes used for grazing in dry places

A plant with white flowers grown to feed animals and stop soil erosion

A tall plant from the Nile valley with strong stems used to make paper and mats

A tall marsh plant people use to make papyrus

A plant with short pods that have one or two round seeds people eat

Egyptian corn
  • Indian
8.8

A grain plant called sorghum that people grow for food in dry regions of North Africa and Asia

Egyptian flu
  • Informal
9.1

A joking name for mild flu-like sickness people get after travel to Egypt

Egyptian henbane
  • Specialized
9.9

A poisonous plant from North Africa and the Middle East whose leaves people use in medicine

Surface Forms

Egyptian singular
Egyptians plural

Morphology

Egyptian = Egypt (transparent) = Egypt + ian

The language name is formed by the productive adjectival/demonymic suffix '-ian' on 'Egypt'; the noun 'Egyptian' (language) is a regular nominal use of that adjective.

Etymology

The word Egyptian also names the old language of the country Egypt, meaning 'of Egypt', so when we say 'Egyptian' about a language we mean the ancient language used by the pharaohs.