Borrowed from
Egyptian (wšbtj,
“ushabti”, literally
“answerer”), by
folk etymology from earlier
(šꜣwꜣbtj), perhaps from
(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“persea (tree)”), which may have been the material they were originally made from.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.
ushabti (plural ushabtiu or ushabtis)
- 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.
figurines of servants of the deceased
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 巫沙布提俑 (Wūshābùtíyǒng)
- Japanese: please add this translation if you can
- Polish: uszebti (pl)
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