Entries for ancient Egyptian terms include the hieroglyphic sign (or in some cases the determinative used to write the word) followed by the transliteration and a conventional English-language vocalization in parentheses.

ankh ☥
Ꜥnḫ (ankh)

The ancient Egyptian word for life. The hieroglyph used to write the word resembles a cross with a teardrop-shaped loop at the top, and is thought to be a representation of a sandal strap. 

atef crown 𓋚
ꜣtf (atef)

A crown worn by deities (especially the god Osiris) and kings comprised of a tall bundle of plant stems that are bound at the top and flanked by two ostrich feathers, sometimes with additional elements including ram horns and sun disks.

ba 𓅽
bꜣ (ba)

The power of a king or god, or—for mortals—the spirit that separated from the body at death. Depicted as a human-headed bird, the deceased’s ba was able to leave the tomb during the day to traverse the world of the living or travel with the sun god, but would return to the mummified body each night.

Blue Crown 𓋙
ḫprš (khepresh)

Called the khepresh in ancient Egyptian, a royal crown that is usually decorated with circlets. Although sometimes called the “war crown” in earlier scholarship, the king was shown wearing this headdress in many different contexts, not just when acting as a military leader.

Book of the Dead

Known as the Book of Going Forth by Day in ancient Egyptian, a collection of mortuary spells designed to protect and provide for the deceased in the afterlife. Often written on papyrus scrolls, its modern name reflects the fact that copies were often buried with their owners.

cartonnage

A medium comprised of layers of gesso and textile and/or papyrus that is pliable when wet and forms a hard shell that can be painted when dry.

cartouche

An oval-shaped border representing a double thickness of rope that encircles the nomen (personal name) and prenomen (throne name) of the king. 

counterpoise

An element at the back of a necklace that redistributes its weight, ensuring that it hangs properly. 

Demotic

The name given to the stage of Egyptian language that was spoken between approximately 700 BCE and 450 CE, as well as the cursive script used to write it.

determinative

A hieroglyphic sign written at the end of a word to indicate what category the word belongs to. For example, a seated man (𓀀) or woman (𓁐) might appear at the end of a personal name, while walking legs (𓂻) might complete the writing of an action verb. 

djed 𓊽
ḏd (djed)

The ancient Egyptian word for stability written with the djed-pillar hieroglyph. In later periods, Egyptians understood the djed pillar as a stylized representation of the god Osiris’s backbone.

Double Crown 𓋖
sḫmty (sekhemty)

Primarily worn by kings, the Double Crown combines the Red Crown and White Crown, symbolizing rulership over all of Egypt. Today it is sometimes called the pschent, from the Greek version of the ancient Egyptian name for the crown, pa sekhemty (pꜣ sḫmty), which translates into English as “The Two Powerful Ones.”

Egyptian blue

In use since at least about 3000 BCE, Egyptian blue is one of the earliest synthetic pigments. It is made in a kiln by heating silica sand, calcium carbonate, a copper-containing material (such as metal scrapings or a mineral), and an alkali.

(Egyptian) faience

A ceramic material composed of quartz, an alkali, lime, and a colorant (often ground copper, which creates a vibrant blue hue).

false door

Carved to resemble a real door, an architectural element in funerary chapels and niches that served as an interface between the world of the living and the dead. Offerings were left outside of a false door to be consumed by the ka of the deceased.

hieratic

An ancient Egyptian script that is a cursive form related to hieroglyphs. Used to write administrative documents, letters, literary texts, and religious books.

justified (true of voice)
mꜣꜥ-ḫrw (maa-kheru)

An epithet written after the names of deceased individuals indicating that they have received a favorable judgment in the weighing of the heart ceremony, allowing them to proceed to the afterlife. The Egyptian mꜣꜥ-ḫrw literally means “true of voice,” but the term is often colloquially translated into English as “justified.”

ka 𓂓 
kꜣ (ka)

An individual’s life force that could inhabit the mummified body or a representation of the deceased (such as a statue) in order to consume food and drink offerings, sustaining the individual in the afterlife.

maat 𓆄
mꜣꜥt (maat)

The ancient Egyptian concept of truth, order, and justice. Represented by a feather hieroglyph, Maat could also be personified as a goddess.

mastaba

A freestanding tomb with a superstructure that has a flat roof and sloping exterior walls. The modern name derives from the Arabic word for “bench.”

nemes
nms (nemes)

A striped, fabric head covering worn by the king (and some deities), sometimes in combination with other crowns.

Red Crown 𓋔
dšrt (deshret)

Called the “Red Crown” in ancient Egyptian, the crown worn primarily by the king that signifies dominion over Lower Egypt (the north).

scarab

The dung beetle (Scarabaeus sacer) that ancient Egyptians associated with the sun god and rebirth. By extension, the modern name for small, beetle-shaped objects that were used as amulets and seals.

shen sign 𓍶
šn (shen)

A hieroglyphic sign that appears in the writing of the verb “to encircle” and related words. Used as a protective symbol, it represents all that the sun encircles, and, by extension, was used as a symbol for eternity. 

shendyt kilt 𓋯 
šndyt (shendyt)

A wrapped kilt, often made from pleated fabric, with a distinctive central panel hanging down in the center. Originally a garment worn by kings, in later periods gods and nonroyal men were also shown wearing the shendyt. 

uraeus (pl. uraei)

A rearing cobra with protective powers often worn on the forehead by kings and deities to ward off enemies and danger.

visible-induced luminescence (VIL)

A scientific imaging technique that can visualize the distribution of Egyptian blue, which, when illuminated with red or green light, emits infrared radiation.

wedjat eye 𓂀
wḏꜣt (wedjat)

A protective symbol that represents the healed eye of Horus, who can take the form of a falcon or a falcon-headed man. It consists of a human eye surrounded by falcon markings. In ancient Egyptian, wedjat means the “whole one” or the “sound one.” 

weighing of the heart

The final judgment before a tribunal of gods, where the deceased’s heart was weighed on a scale against the maat feather. If the scale balanced, the deceased was admitted to the afterlife. Heavy hearts were destroyed by Ammit, whose name means the “devourer of the dead.” 

White Crown 𓋑
ḥḏt (hedjet)

Called the “White Crown” in ancient Egyptian, a crown primarily worn by the king that signifies dominion over Upper Egypt (the south).