A Glossary
Of the Egyptian Words Occurring on the New York Obelisk
The words in this Glossary are arranged according to the Hieroglyphic alphabet as follows:
As there was no fixed orthography among the ancient Egyptians the same word is frequently spelled in many different ways. This will be noticed in the following pages.—The plural of nouns or adjectives was formed by adding three lines () to the word or by repeating the Hieroglyphic sign of the word three times.—The dual was formed by adding two lines () or by repeating the sign twice.—The dot before the t (·t) denotes that the t is the feminine ending, which was pronounced by the ancient Egyptians only slightly or, probably, not at all.
Abbreviations: E stands for East Face of the Obelisk; W for the West Face; N for the North Face; S for the South Face. Pyr. stands for Pyramidion. EAST, WEST, NORTH, SOUTH denote the vertical columns of the Obelisk on that particular side of its face. CENT. denotes the central column. The small numerals refer to the pages of the book.
Ȧ
ȧm. Prep. “in.” Adv. “there, where.” W CENT. 59
Ȧmen-mer-Râ-meses-su. Second cartouche or the family name of Ramses II., “beloved of Amen, the Sun, begetting himself”. E NORTH 62 63 SOUTH 64 64 S EAST 65 65 WEST 66 66 W SOUTH 68 68 NORTH 67 67 N WEST 70 70 EAST 69 69
Ȧmen-mer-Râ-meses-su. Same as preceding. Base of E 71 71 S 71 71 W 71 71 N 71 71
Ȧmen-mer-Ûsarken. Second cartouche or the family name of Osarkon I., “beloved of Amen, Osarkon”. SMALL SIDE INSCRIPTIONS E 72 72 S 72 72 W 72 72 N 72 72
Ȧn. “Heliopolis.” E CENT. 56 S CENT. 58 N EAST 69 Pyr. WEST 52 53 SOUTH 51
ȧr. Verb: “to make, form, fashion; making, maker”. E CENT. 56 W NORTH 67 67 S CENT. 58 58 N WEST 70 Pyr. WEST 53 NORTH 54 55
ȧrîtu. Noun, feminine, plural: “works”. S EAST 65
ȧrp. Noun: “wine”. Pyr. EAST 49 SOUTH 51
ȧten. Noun: one of the names of “the sun”. E NORTH 62
Â
âa or â. Adjective: “great, large”. E CENT. 57 SOUTH 64 W SOUTH 68 Pyr. EAST 49 SOUTH 51 WEST 53 In combination with ḥa·t. E CENT. 56
ânkh. Verb, &c.: “to live; living; life”. E CENT. 57 NORTH 63 S EAST 65 W NORTH 67 N CENT. 61 EAST 69 WEST 70 Pyr. EAST 47 49 SOUTH 50 51 WEST 52 53 53 NORTH 54 55 55 Base of E 71 71 S 71 71 W 71 71 N 71 71
U
uâ. Adj. and adv.: “one, sole, alone; only”. E SOUTH 64
uâf. Verb, &c.: “to smite, ward off, vanquish; conqueror, victor”. S WEST 66
uâf. Same as preceding. N WEST 70
us. Noun and adj.: “strength, power; strong”. E CENT. 57 Pyr. WEST 53
Us. “Thebes.” E CENT. 56 W CENT. 59 Pyr. EAST 48 SOUTH 50 WEST 53 NORTH 55
usem. Noun: “gold-metal; electrum”, S CENT. 58
user. Adj.: “great, powerful, long”. E SOUTH 64 W SOUTH 68
User-Mâ-Râ-sotep-en-Râ. The first cartouche or the royal name of Ramses II., “strong in truth, the sun, chosen of the sun”. E NORTH 62 62 SOUTH 64 64 S EAST 65 65 WEST 66 66 W NORTH 67 67 SOUTH 68 68 N EAST 69 69 WEST 70 70 Base of (all reading from right to left) E 71 71 S 71 71 W 71 71 N 71 71
utu. Verb, &c.: “to command, order; decree”. N CENT. 60
Û
ûaḥ. Verb: “to place, put, establish”. E CENT. 56 56
ûrui. Dual of the adjective ûr “large”, hence: “the two large” obelisks, referring to the New York and London Obelisks. S CENT. 58
B
benben·t. Noun: “pyramidion”. S CENT. 58
P
pau·t. Noun: “circle, assembly, company”. E CENT. 57
per. Noun: “house”. W CENT. 59 NORTH 67
peru. Plural of the preceding word with the determinative of “city”: “temples, sanctuaries”. N EAST 69
per. Verb: “to go out, proceed, issue”. E SOUTH 64
peḥu. Plural of peḥ “back, behind”: hence “farthest, extreme”. N CENT. 60
pesed. Verb: “to shine, illumine”. E NORTH 62
pet. Noun and adj.: “heaven; heavenly”. E NORTH 62 CENT. 56 56 SOUTH 63 S EAST 65 CENT. 58 WEST 66 W NORTH 67 CENT. 59 SOUTH 68 N EAST 68 CENT. 60 WEST 70
Ptaḥ-tathunen. Epithet of the god “Ptah” of Memphis. S EAST 65
Ptaḥ-tathunen. A variant (different spelling) of the preceding word. N EAST 69
F
f. Third person sing. masc. pers. and possessive pronoun: “he, him, his; it, its”. E NORTH 62 CENT. 56 56 56 57 SOUTH 64 S EAST 65 CENT. 58 58 58 58 W NORTH 67 67 CENT. 59 N EAST 69 CENT. 60 60 WEST 70 Pyr. EAST 49 SOUTH 51 WEST 53 NORTH 54 55
M
m. Prep.: “in, for; at; as; (made) of; with”. E CENT. 56 56 56 56 S CENT. 58 58 58 W CENT. 59 N CENT. 60 WEST 70 Pyr. EAST 48 SOUTH 50 WEST 53 NORTH 55
m. Same as preceding: “in; at; from”. E NORTH 62 SOUTH 64 S EAST 65 W NORTH 67
ma or mȧ. Adv.: “like, as”. E CENT. 56 57 SOUTH 64 S WEST 60 W SOUTH 68 N EAST 69 WEST 70
mȧ. Same word as the preceding: “like, as”. E NORTH 62 S EAST 65 WEST 66 N EAST 69
Mâ. The goddess of truth, “Mā”. S EAST 65 N EAST 68
mâk. Verb, &c.: “to protect, ward off; protector”. S WEST 66
mâk. Same word as the preceding: “to protect; protector”. N WEST 70
mennu. Noun: “monument; monuments”. S CENT. 58
men·tu or setu. Noun, plural of men·t or set “country”, hence: “countries, foreign nations”. N CENT. 60 S WEST 66 N WEST 70
Men-kheper-Râ. The first cartouche or the royal name of Thothmes III., “the stable and creative sun”. E CENT. 56 S CENT. 58 W CENT. 59 N CENT. 60 Pyr. EAST 47 48 SOUTH 50 50 WEST 52 53 NORTH 54 55
menkh. Verb and adjective: “to be beautiful; beautiful, kind”. S WEST 66 Cf. also the causative form of the same word s·menkh “to embellish”. W CENT. 59
mer. Verb, &c.: “to love; loving; beloved; love; lover”. E NORTH 62 S EAST 65 CENT. 58 W NORTH 67 N EAST 68 CENT. 60
merî. Adj., derived from the preceding: “beloved”. E CENT. 57 S CENT. 58 W CENT. 60
merîti. Lengthened form of the preceding word: “beloved, lovely, beautiful”. E NORTH 62
mes or meses. Verb, &c.: “to bring forth, beget; born of; birth; child”. E NORTH 62 CENT. 56 SOUTH 64 W NORTH 67 CENT. 59 N EAST 69
meses. Same word as the preceding: “to bring forth; birth; born of; child”. E CENT. 56 N EAST 69
N
n. Prep.: “by, for”. E CENT. 56 SOUTH 64 S CENT. 58 58 58 58 N EAST 69 CENT. 60 Sign of the genitive case: “of, in”. E CENT. 56 56 SOUTH 64 64 W CENT. 59 SOUTH 68 Pyr. WEST 53 Sign of the accusative case. E CENT. 56
n. Same as the preceding. Sign of the genitive case: “of”. E NORTH 63 SOUTH 64
neb. Noun: “lord, master”. E NORTH 62 SOUTH 64 64 S EAST 65 65 CENT. 58 WEST 66 W NORTH 67 SOUTH 68 N EAST 69 69 WEST 70 Pyr. EAST 47 49 49 SOUTH 50 51 51 WEST 52 53 53 NORTH 54 54 55 Adj.: “all, every”. E CENT. 57 N EAST 69 CENT. 60 61 WEST 70 70 Pyr. EAST 49 SOUTH 51 NORTH 55
neb·t. Feminine of the preceding word: “mistress, queen”. E CENT. 56 where by mistake, perhaps, it stands for the preceding word and means “lord”.
Pronunciation doubtful, either neb mut neb ârâ or neb sheta neb meḥen·t: “the lord of the Vulture and Uræus diadems”. The title of Pharaoh as the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. E CENT. 56 S WEST 66 N WEST 70
nub. Noun: “gold”. In the phrase Hor-nub “the golden hawk or Horus”. E SOUTH 64 W SOUTH 68 N CENT. 60
nefer. Adj.: “good, gracious, benevolent, beautiful”. Pyr. EAST 47 SOUTH 50 WEST 52 53 NORTH 54 Base of E 71 71 71 71 S 71 71 71 71 W 71 71 71 71 N 71 71 71 71
neferu. Plural of the preceding word: “beauty”. E CENT. 56
nen. Adv.: “not”. S CENT. 58 W NORTH 67
neḥeḥ or, possibly, only ḥeḥ. Noun, &c.: “eternity; eternal; forever”. E CENT. 56
nekht. Adj. and noun: “powerful, valiant, mighty; strength”. E NORTH 62 CENT. 56 SOUTH 63 S EAST 65 CENT. 58 WEST 66 W NORTH 67 CENT. 59 SOUTH 68 N EAST 68 CENT. 60 WEST 70 Pyr. EAST 48 SOUTH 50 WEST 53 NORTH 55
nekhtu. Plural of the preceding word: “victory”. N CENT. 60
nekhtu. Same word as the preceding: “victory”. E SOUTH 64 W SOUTH 68
ent. Lengthened form of the preposition n (cf. above). Sign of the genitive case: “of”. N CENT. 60
enti (others read entet). Relative pronoun: “who, which, what; whose; whom”. E CENT. 56
nuter. Noun and adj.: “god; divine”. E CENT. 57 Pyr. EAST 47 49 SOUTH 50 51 WEST 52 53 NORTH 54 Base of E 71 71 S 71 71 W 71 71 N 71 71 Reading from right to left. Base of E 71 71 S 71 71 W 71 71 N 71 71
nuter. Same word as the preceding: “god”. S EAST 65
nuteru. Plural of nuter: “gods”. E CENT. 57
nuteru. Same word as the preceding: “gods”. E NORTH 62 W NORTH 67
nuteri dûa. Noun: “morning-star”. S EAST 65
R
r. Prep.: “out, over, for, as, in order to”. E SOUTH 64 64 N EAST 69 69 CENT. 60 60 Pyr. E 49 S 51 W 53 N 55
ru. Noun: “mouth, end”. N CENT. 60
Râ. “Rā, the sun.” E NORTH 62 62 CENT. 56 57 SOUTH 64 64 S EAST 65 65 CENT. 58 WEST 66 66 W NORTH 67 67 CENT. 59 SOUTH 68 68 N EAST 69 69 CENT. 61 WEST 70 70 Pyr. EAST 48 SOUTH 50 WEST 53 NORTH 55 SMALL SIDE INSCRIPTIONS E 72 72 S 72 72 W 72 72 N 72 72
Râ. Same word as the preceding: “Rā, the sun”. E SOUTH 64 64 S WEST 66 66 W SOUTH 68 N EAST 69 69 WEST 70
Râ. Same word as the preceding: “Rā, the sun”. N CENT. 60
Râ. Same word as the preceding: “Rā, the sun”. E NORTH 62 W NORTH 67
Râ. Same word as the preceding: “Rā, the sun”. E NORTH 62 63 SOUTH 64 S CENT. 58 WEST 66 W NORTH 67 SOUTH 68 N CENT. 60 WEST 70
Râ-Hor-khuti. A name of the sun-god: “Rā, the hawk in the horizon”. S CENT. 58 W CENT. 60 Pyr. EAST 49 North 55
renpe·tu. Noun, plural of renpe·t “year”, hence: “years”. E SOUTH 61 W SOUTH 68
rekh. Verb: “to know, understand”. E CENT. 56
Same word as the preceding: “to know, understand”. S EAST 65
H
hapu. Noun, plural of hap “law, judgment”, hence: “laws”. S EAST 65
har. Adj.: “calm, satisfied, glad”. N CENT. 60
Ḥ
ḥâu. Noun, plural of ḥâ “limb”, hence: “limbs”. E CENT. 56
ḥu. Verb: “to smite, strike”. N CENT. 60
ḥeb. Noun: “festival, feast”. S EAST 65
ḥebu. Plural of the preceding word: “festivals”. N EAST 69
ḥeb. Noun: “festival”. In the phrase sed-ḥeb “the thirty-year period”. S CENT. 58
ḥun. Noun: “child, boy, youth”. E NORTH 62
ḥenâ. Prep.: “with”. E CENT. 57
ḥer. Noun: “face”. N WEST 70
Ḥer. “Horus” with the double crown of Egypt. E NORTH 62 CENT. 56 SOUTH 63 S EAST 65 CENT. 58 WEST 66 W NORTH 67 CENT. 59 SOUTH 68 N EAST 68 CENT. 60 WEST 70
See under Râ-Ḥor-khuti.
Ḥer-nub. “The golden Horus.” E SOUTH 64 W SOUTH 68 N CENT. 60
See under neḥeḥ. E CENT. 56
ḥeq. Noun: “prince, chief”. Pyr. SOUTH 51 WEST 52
ḥequ. Plural of the preceding word: “princes, chiefs”. N CENT. 60
ḥa·t. Noun: “temple”. Pyr. SOUTH 51 WEST 53
ḥa·t-â. From the preceding word with the adjective â “great”, hence: “the great temple”. E CENT. 56
ḥez. Adj.: “white”. Noun: “the white crown” of Upper Egypt. N CENT. 60
Kh
khâ. Adj.: “glorious, crowned”. E CENT. 56 W CENT. 59 Pyr. EAST 48 SOUTH 50 WEST 53 NORTH 55
khâu. Noun, plural of khâ “crown”, hence: “diadems, crowns”. E SOUTH 64
khu. Verb, &c.: “to be glorious; resplendent; glory, splendor”. E NORTH 63 SOUTH 64
khu·t. Noun: “horizon”. E NORTH 62
khuti. Dual of the preceding word: “the two horizons”. See under Râ-Ḥor-khuti.
Kheperȧ. The god “Khepera”, literally “the creator”. E SOUTH 63
khepesh. Noun: “strength, power, victory”. N CENT. 60
kher. Conj. and prep.: “for”. E CENT. 56
Kherp-kheper-Râ-sotep-en-Râ. The first cartouche or the royal name of Osarkon I., “made governor by Rā, chosen of Rā”. SMALL SIDE INSCRIPTIONS E 72 72 S 72 72 W 72 72 N 72 72
kha·t. Noun: “belly, womb”. E CENT. 56
kha·t. Same word as the preceding: “belly, womb”. E SOUTH 64
khet. Noun: “thing; things”. Pyr. NORTH 54
khatf. Prep. and conj.: “for, before; since, because”. N CENT. 60 WEST 70
S
sa. Noun: “son, child, offspring”. E NORTH 62 62 CENT. 56 SOUTH 64 64 S EAST 65 65 CENT. 58 WEST 66 66 W NORTH 67 67 CENT. 59 SOUTH 68 68 N EAST 69 69 CENT. 61 WEST 70 70 Pyr. EAST 48 SOUTH 50 WEST 53 NORTH 55 SMALL SIDE INSCRIPTIONS E 72 72 S 72 72 W 72 72 N 72 72
sa. Same word as the preceding: “son, child, offspring”. E SOUTH 63 S WEST 66 W SOUTH 68 N WEST 70
s·âḥâ. Verb, causative form of âḥâ “to raise”, hence: “to cause to be raised, erect”. S CENT. 58
su. Personal pronoun third person: “he, him; himself; she, her; herself; it; itself; they, them; themselves”. E SOUTH 64 N EAST 69
su. Same word as the preceding: “he; him; &c.” N CENT. 60
s·usekh. Verb, causative form of usekh “to extend”, hence: “to cause to be extended”. N CENT. 60
sep. Noun: “time, times”, after numerals. S CENT. 58
s·menkh. Verb, causative of menkh “to be beautiful”, hence: “to render beautiful, embellish”. W CENT. 59
sen. Personal pronoun third person plural masculine: “they; them; their”. E CENT. 56 56
s·ḥeb. Verb, causative form of ḥeb “to be glad”, hence: “to cause to rejoice, gladden”. N EAST 69
suten. Noun: “king”. E CENT. 56
suten. Same word as the preceding: “king”. S WEST 66 N WEST 70
sutenî·t. Noun, derived from the preceding word: “kingdom”. E CENT. 56
suten-kaut (doubtful!). Noun: “the king of Upper and Lower Egypt”. E NORTH 62 CENT. 56 SOUTH 63 S EAST 65 CENT. 58 WEST 66 W NORTH 67 CENT. 59 SOUTH 68 N EAST 68 CENT. 60 WEST 70 Pyr. WEST 52 NORTH 54 SMALL SIDE INSCRIPTIONS E 72 72 S 72 72 W 72 72 N 72 72
sed. In the phrase sed-ḥeb “the thirty year period festival”. S CENT. 58
s·zef. Verb, causative form of zef “to be full”, hence: “to cause to be filled, provide with”. N EAST 69
Sh
shep. Verb: “to seize, obtain”. E SOUTH 64
shepes. Adj.: “beautiful, glorious”. E NORTH 62
shef·t. Noun: “terror, awe”. S EAST 65
Q
qa. Verb, abbreviated form of qa: “to raise”. N CENT. 60
qa. Noun: “bull”. E NORTH 62 CENT. 56 SOUTH 63 S EAST 65 CENT. 58 WEST 66 W NORTH 67 CENT. 59 SOUTH 68 N EAST 68 WEST 70 Pyr. EAST 48 SOUTH 50 WEST 53 NORTH 55
qebeḥ. Noun: “libation”. Pyr. WEST 53 NORTH 55
Qem·t. “Egypt”. S WEST 66 N CENT. 61 WEST 70
qema. Verb: “to create”. E CENT. 56
qen. Noun: “force, triumph, victory”. N WEST 70
G
ger. Verb: “to seize, possess”. E NORTH 62 W NORTH 67
T
ta. Noun: “land, earth”. N CENT. 60
ta. Same word as the preceding: “land, earth”. N WEST 70
taui. Dual of the two preceding words: “the two countries”, Egypt. E NORTH 62 62 SOUTH 64 S EAST 65 65 WEST 66 W NORTH 67 67 SOUTH 68 N EAST 69 WEST 70 Pyr. EAST 47 SOUTH 50 51 WEST 52 NORTH 54 55 Written separately. Pyr. EAST 49
tash·tu. Noun, plural of tash·t “boundary”, hence: “boundaries”. N CENT. 60
tep. Adj.: “first”. S CENT. 58
tef. Noun, contracted form of ȧtef: “father”. S CENT. 58 N CENT. 60
tef. Same word as the preceding: “father”. S EAST 65 W NORTH 67 N EAST 69
Tum. The god “Tum”. E CENT. 57 Pyr. SOUTH 51 WEST 53
Tum. Same word as the preceding: the god “Tum”. E CENT. 56
tekhenui. Noun, dual of tekhen “obelisk”, hence: “two obelisks”. S CENT. 58
D
du. Verb, &c.: “to give; giving; gift”. E NORTH 63 CENT. 57 S EAST 65 W NORTH 67 N EAST 69 CENT. 61 WEST 70 Pyr. EAST 47 49 SOUTH 50 51 WEST 52 53 53 NORTH 54 55 55
du·t. Noun, from the preceding word: “gift, present”. Pyr. EAST 49 SOUTH 51 WEST 53 NORTH 55
dûa. Noun: “star”. In the phrase nuterti dûa “the morning-star”. S EAST 65
dem. Adj.: “all, complete”. N WEST 70
dem·t. Noun, from the preceding word: “completeness, totality”. N CENT. 60
Deḥuti. The god “Thoth”. E CENT. 56
Deḥuti-meses-nefer-kheperu. The second cartouche or the family name of Thothmes III., “the child of Thoth, beautiful in his transformations (or of beautiful form)”. S CENT. 58 W CENT. 60 N CENT. 61
ded. Noun: “stability”. E CENT. 57 Pyr. WEST 53
dedui. Noun, dual of ded “hand”, hence: “the two hands”. N CENT. 60
dedui. Same word as the preceding: “two hands”. N WEST 70
Z
zeta. Noun, &c.: “eternity; eternal; forever”. E CENT. 57 S CENT. 58 W CENT. 60 N CENT. 61 Pyr. EAST 47 SOUTH 50 WEST 52 NORTH 54
Notes
1 For a full account of the removal of the obelisk and everything connected with it, the reader is referred to the admirable book of the late Commander Gorringe, entitled: Egyptian Obelisks. New York, 1882.
2 This is the so-called “shield-name”, the heraldic motto or device of the Pharaoh, occurring in many variations on the obelisk.
3 The two diadems referred to are 1) the crown surmounted by an Uræus snake or cobra, symbolizing the king’s power over life and death, and 2) the crown with the vulture—usually worn by goddesses and queens—to proclaim him the “nourisher” or “protector” of his people.
4 This is the longest of any Egyptian cartouche, and is written in two vertical columns. It stands for the second cartouche given on page 36.
5 The last hieroglyphs of the two columns of the cartouche form the regal name: Thoth-mes.
6 The custom of erecting obelisks in pairs in front of the gates of temples has already been alluded to on page 20 (cf. the picture).
7 The gold-metal mentioned here may have been only an alloy of copper and gold. Some think that it was the electrum of the ancients, which was an alloy of silver and gold.
8 This passage is supplied from the London Obelisk.
9 This was a festival celebrated every thirty years, also called the festival of the trentenary cycle. The real meaning of these highly important festivals is not yet fully understood.
10 This passage is totally destroyed and indecipherable.
11 is an abbreviated form for qa “to lift up, raise”; therefore literally: “who has raised the crown”.
12 The white crown was that of Upper Egypt, which was then the most important part of the empire and the seat of government (cf. page 31).
13 This term may also be translated according to Dümichen “Horus of the golden necklace”. This necklace was the usual mark of distinction for valor in battle, and it was the king’s prerogative to bestow it on his chiefs. Horus, the avenger of his father Osiris, is the Mars of Roman mythology. The whole expression, therefore, means “the valiant hero”.
14 User-Mâ-Râ-sotep-en-Râ is the royal or divine name of the “Pharaoh of the Oppression”, which signifies: the Sun, mighty in Truth, chosen of the Sun.
15 Ȧmen-mer-Râ-meses-su is the family name of the same Pharaoh, or his name as prince before he ascended the throne, and signifies: the beloved of Amen, the Sun, who begets himself.
16 Ȧten is another name of the sun-god Râ. This deity was represented as the sun giving forth rays, each of which terminated in a hand holding the sign (ânkh) “life”). The picture on page 30 will make this plain.
17 Kheperȧ, literally “the Creator”, is another name of the sun-god and represents the invisible sun of night. The beetle () or scarab was sacred to this deity, whose picture is given on page 28.
18 i. e. like the ever-rising sun (cf. page 28).
19 Mâ is the Egyptian goddess of Truth.
20 Ptaḥ-tathunen is a name of Ptah as the chief deity of Memphis in Lower Egypt. Cf. the Glossary.