Egyptian

American  

[ih-jip-shuhn] / ɪˈdʒɪp ʃən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Egypt or its people.

   Egyptian architecture.

2. Obsolete. of or relating to the Roma, a traditionally nomadic ethnic group.

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Egypt.

2. the extinct Afroasiatic language of the ancient Egyptians. Egypt.

3. a printing type having square serifs.

Egyptian British  

/ ɪˈdʒɪpʃən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Egypt, its inhabitants, or their dialect of Arabic

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient Egyptians, their language, or culture

3. (of type) having square slab serifs

4. archaic of or relating to the Gypsies

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Egypt

2. a member of an indigenous non-Semitic people who established an advanced civilization in Egypt that flourished from the late fourth millennium _bc

3. the extinct language of the ancient Egyptians, belonging to the Afro-Asiatic family of languages. It is recorded in hieroglyphic inscriptions, the earliest of which date from before 3000 _bc. It was extinct by the fourth century _ad See also Coptic

4. a large size of drawing paper

5. an archaic name for a Gypsy

Other Word Forms

• Egyptianism noun
• Egypticity noun
• anti-Egyptian adjective
• non-Egyptian adjective
• pro-Egyptian adjective
• pseudo-Egyptian adjective
• trans-Egyptian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Egyptian

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English Egipcien, Egipcian, Gypcian, from Old French egyptien, egipcien; replacing Middle English Egiptish, Old English Egiptisc, Egyptisc, Ægiptisc

Example Sentences

Bin Laden’s deputy, the Egyptian doctor Ayman al-Zawahiri, also found refuge in Pakistan, as did several planners of the 9/11 attacks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

In 2025, the Defense Intelligence Agency told Congress it had concluded that the former Egyptian special operations soldier actually helmed the organization.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026

On the sidewalk, generations play spades in the shade and the joyful screams of children emanate from a custom bouncy house adorned with an Egyptian pharaoh bust.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

After Pakistan's foreign minister quickly flew to Beijing last month following de-escalation discussions with Saudi, Turkish and Egyptian counterparts, China said it backed Pakistan's efforts to mediate.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The history of Egypt is divided into dynasties of rulers, in accordance with ancient Egyptian practice, beginning with the First Dynasty shortly after 3000 B.C.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson