Standard Lemma guide

mastaba

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈmæstəbə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A wide stone bench built into the wall of a house, shop etc. in the Middle East.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A rectangular structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides, built during Ancient Egyptian times above tombs that were situated on flat land. Mastabas were made of wood, mud bricks, stone, or a combination of these materials. Some are solid structures, while others can contain one or more rooms, sometimes decorated with paintings or inscriptions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: architecture

Examples

  • The pyramids at Giza are flanked by large cemeteries containing hundreds of mastabas.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

an ancient Egyptian mud-brick tomb with a rectangular base and sloping sides and flat roof

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the Egyptian pyramids developed from the mastaba

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mastabah

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: grave, tomb

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic مَصْطَبَة (maṣṭaba).

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مَصْطَبَة (maṣṭaba) — wide stone bench
  • German: Steinbank — wide stone bench
  • Ottoman Turkish: مصطبه (mastaba, mıstaba) — wide stone bench
  • Arabic: مَصْطَبَة (maṣṭaba) — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides
  • Catalan: mastaba — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides
  • Dutch: mastaba — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides
  • Egyptian: i-iz-z:pr (jz) — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides
  • Finnish: mastaba — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides
  • French: mastaba — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides
  • Galician: mastaba — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides
  • German: Mastaba — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides
  • Greek: μασταμπάς (mastampás) — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides
  • Italian: mastaba — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides
  • Polish: mastaba — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides
  • Portuguese: mastaba — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides
  • Russian: маста́ба (mastába) — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides
  • Spanish: mastaba — rectangular tomb structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides