ushabti

English

Etymology
Borrowed from Egyptian
wSbt
y		 A53
 (wšbtj, “ushabti”, literally “answerer”), by folk etymology from earlier
SAwAbt
y		 A53
 (šꜣwꜣbtj), perhaps from
SwAbM1
 (šwꜣb, “persea (tree)”), which may have been the material they were originally made from. The variant forms shawabti, shabti are borrowed directly from the earlier Egyptian forms šꜣwꜣbtj and šꜣbtj, respectively.

Pronunciation
  • (UK) IPA(key): /uːˈʃabti/

Noun

ushabti (plural ushabtiu or ushabtis)

  1. In ancient Egypt, a figurine of a dead person, placed in their tomb to do their work for them in the afterlife.
    • 1886 September 1, The Times, p.13 col. A:
      These little images were called in Egyptian “Ushabti,” or “Respondents,” and were in fact supposed to act as servants of the deceased, it being their duty to answer for him and serve as his substitutes when called upon to do labourer's work [...].
    • 1957, Lawrence Durrell, Justine:
      The air was all at once full of Egyptian and Greek tear-bottles, Ushabti, and Sèvres.
    • 1993, Rikki Ducornet, The Jade Cabinet, Dalkey Archive Press, page 121:
      Spectacular objects began to surface throughout the world; […] elaborate ivory powder boxes engraved with peacocks or pictures of lions and unicorns playing draughts, precious ushabtiu figures, the combs of an unknown princess, her red ivory jars of frankincense and eye paint, copper coffers, poison rings, diadems.

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