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Late Nineteenth Century Egyptian Arabic

Terms

undefined, object
copy deck
afreet
evil demon (often used by the Egyptian workmen in reference to a young Ramses)
abd
servant of
abeyya
women's version of the galabeeyah
abu
father, saint
Abu Shitaim
father of curses (often used by the Egyptian workmen in reference to Emerson)
Aga
title of respect, as Hassan Aga; basic meaning is landlord
ahwa
coffee and coffeehouse
ain
well, spring
Alemâni
German
Allah yimessîkum bil-kheir
God give you a good evening
Amerikâni
American
atef
the white crown of upper Egypt with red feathers added on each side; sometimes seen in the form of the Hemhem, or triple atef crown
bahr
river
baksheesh
tip, present
baladi
local, rural
bawwab
doorman
bey
title of respect, as Hassan Bey; Ottoman Turkish; outranks Effendi and Aga
bir
spring, well
birket
lake
burko
face veil
caliph, khalif
Islamic ruler
canopic jars
tomb containers for internal organs (liver, stomach, lungs, intestines) of the mummy
cartouche
oval shape enclosing the hieroglyphs of royal names
Coptic
pertaining to the Copts, Egyptian Christians
criosphinx
ram-headed sphinx, as at the avenue of criosphinxes at Temple of Amun at Karnak
dahabeeyah
houseboat
darb
track, street
deir
monastery, convent
demotic
a late form of ancient Egyptian writing, very abbreviated compared to hieratic or hieroglyphic
Deshret
the red crown of Lower Egypt, low in front and tall in back, with a protruding coil, possibly of woven wickerwork
effendi
sir, as Hassan Effendi
eid
feast
emir
ruler, military commander or governor
essalâmu áleikum
peace be with you
fahddle
gossip
faience, faïence
opaque glass-like substance (same ingredients as glass, different proportions)
fellah (pl. fellahin)
ploughman, tiller of the soil, peasant
Feransâwi
French, Frenchman
filoos
money
firman
permit, particularly a permit to excavate an archeological site
galabeeyah
loose man's robe
gebel
mountain or mountain range
gezira
island
guinay
Egyptian pound
habib
friend
haj
pilgrimage to Mecca
hakim
doctor
hamman
bathhouse
hanim
lady, madam, courteous address to a Turkish lady, as Azize Hanim
hantour
horse-drawn carriage
harah
lane, alley
harîm, haramlik
women's quarters, family quarters
Hedjet
the white crown of Upper Egypt, a tall white conical headpiece, possibly of pleated fabric
heka
Pharaoh's royal crook, symbol of Upper Egypt
hezaam
sash
hieratic
the most usual, or script, form of ancient Egyptian writing
hieroglyphs
the most formal ancient Egyptian writing
ibn
son of
iftar
breaking of the fast during Ramadan
imam
Islamic scholar or cleric
Inglizi
English
irsh
piastre (pt)
jinni (pl. jinn)
demon
jubba
vest
ka
spirit, or double, of a living person which gained its own identity with the death of that person
khafiya
Bedouin headcloth
khamseen
hot wind from the Western Desert
khat
plain version of the Nemes headdress
khedive
Egyptian viceroy under the Ottomans (1867-1914)
Khepresh
the blue crown, or "war crown," a helmet, ornamented with golden discs, with the uraeus and vulture on the brow
khwaga
foreigner
klaft
apron-shaped headcloth worn by women
kubri
bridge
limoon
a lemon drink
lotus
plant identified with Upper Egypt
L.P.H.
"Life, Prosperity, Health," in classical Egyptian "ankh weja seneb"
Ma-a-kheru
True of voice, the justified; honorific for a dead person, as "the late"
mahatta
station
marhaba
welcome
mashrabiyya
carved screen
Masr
another name for Egypt and Cairo; also written as Misur, Misr
mastaba
a rectangular bench, and by extension, a mud-brick structure above a tomb of the same rectangular shape
midan
town or city square
modius
small crown made up of a ring of cobra heads
moulid
festival celebrating the birthday of a local saint or holy person
muezzin
mosque official who calls the faithful to prayer five times a day from the minaret
mugzzabin
Sufi followers who participate in zikrs in order to achieve unity with Allah
nai
reed pipe
narghila
water pipe
natron
hydrated sodium carbonate; used in ancient Egypt to pack and dry bodies during mummification
Nekhbet
the vulture goddess of Upper Egypt (Nekhbet = 'she of Nekheb'); one of the Two Ladies who, with the cobra goddess Wadjet, formed part of Pharaoh's headdress
nekhekh
Pharaoh's royal flail, symbol of Lower Egypt
Nemes
a head-dress rather than a crown, as on the gold mask of Tutankhamun; a piece of striped cloth tight across the forehead, worn with the uraeus and the vulture on the brow
Nilometer
pit descending into the Nile, containing a marked central column which recorded the level of the river, especially during the inundation
nur
light; Nur Misur, Light of Egypt
obelisk
monolith stone pillar, with square sides tapering to a pyramidal, often gilded, top
'Omdeh
local magistrate
oud
a sort of lute
papyrus
plant identified with Lower Egypt; writing material made from the pith of the plant; a document written on such paper
pasha
ruler of Egypt, and also used more generally to denote someone of standing, as Enver Pasha; outranks a Bey or an Effendi; from Ottoman Turkish; also occasionally bestowed on Westerners, such as Thomas Russell Pasha
porphyry
from Greek porphyros (purple); a reddish-purple rock highly resistant to erosion. Many sarcophagi were made from porphyry
Pschent
The double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, the red crown and the white crown combined, the "Two Mighty Ones"
Pyramid Texts
paintings and reliefs on the walls of the internal rooms and burial chamber of pyramids, in particular the hymns vital to passage into the afterlife. In later times these texts would be painted on the sarcophagus
qanun
zither
qarafa
cemetery ('q' is unvocalised)
qasr
castle or palace ('q' is unvocalised)
reis
captain, foreman
risha
feather, or a style of sarcophagus in a multicolored, all-over feather pattern
sabil
water fountain
safragi, suffragi
waiter
salamlik
men's quarters
sarcophagus
stone or marble coffin used to encase other wooden coffins and the mummy of the departed
scarab
dung beetle, sacred symbol of the sun-god Ra
serdab
hidden cellar in a tomb, or a stone room in front of a pyramid, containing a painted statue of the dead; pronounced SAIR-dab, rhymes with CHAIR
shadouf
water wheels, used for irrigation
Shari'a
Islamic law, the body of doctrine that regulates the lives of Muslims
sharia
road or street
sharm
bay
shay
tea
sheesha
water pipe
shuty
crown ... cap with double tall plumes
sitt
lady; Sitt Hakim, lady doctor
solar barque
wooden boat placed in or near a Pharaoh's tomb
stela (pl. stelae)
inscribed slab or column, wood or stone
Sufi
follower of any of the Islamic mystical orders which emphasize dancing, chanting and trances to attain unity with Allah
sûk, sûq, souq, souk
bazaar, market
tabla
small hand-held drum
tarboosh
hat, elsewhere known as a fez, Ottoman Turkish
Touareg
a desert tribe
towla
backgammon
ukaf!
stop!
umm
mother of, as Umm Ramses
uraeus
cobra, symbol of the goddess Wadjet; a rearing cobra, hood inflated, always formed part of the Pharaoh's headdress, usually the serpent in the crown
ushebti/shawabti
magical statuette placed in the tomb, intended to volunteer for work assignments in place of the deceased; often found in sets
wadi
watercourse canyon, dry except during the rainy season
Wadjet
the vulture goddess of Upper Egypt (Wadjet = 'the green one'); one of the Two Ladies who, with the vulture goddess Nekhbet, formed part of Pharaoh's headdress
wahah
oasis
yalla!
go on! hurry!
zabtiyeh
police station
zemr
a kind of oboe
zikr
long sessions of dancing, chanting and swaying

Deck Info

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