Standard Lemma guide

ushabti

noun · 1 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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  • UK: /uːˈʃabti/

1

noun

Meaning 1

In Ancient Egypt, a figurine of a dead person, placed in their tomb to do their work for them in the afterlife.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Egyptian w-S-b-t:y-A53 (wšbtj, “ushabti”, literally “answerer”), by folk etymology from earlier SA-wA-b-t:y-A53 (šꜣwꜣbtj), perhaps from S-wA-b-M1 (šwꜣb, “persea (tree)”), which may have been the material they were originally made from.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.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 巫沙布提俑 (Wūshābùtíyǒng) — figurines of servants of the deceased
  • Polish: uszebti — figurines of servants of the deceased