serdab

[ ser-dahb ]

noun

1. a chamber inside a mastaba containing a statue of the deceased.

serdab

/ ˈsɜːdæb; səˈdæb /

noun

1. a secret chamber in an ancient Egyptian tomb

Word History and Origins

Origin of serdab¹

1835–45; < Arabic sirdāb underground chamber < Persian sardāb cellar for ice, equivalent to sard cold + āb water

Word History and Origins

Origin of serdab¹

C19 (earlier, in the sense: cellar): from Arabic: cellar, from Persian sardāb ice cellar, from sard cold + āb water

Example Sentences

The interior of a mastaba is composed of three parts—the chamber, the serdab, and the well.

From Project Gutenberg

So that the function of the serdab was to afford a safe and final asylum to the statues.

From Project Gutenberg

Serdab, ser′dab, n. a secret chamber within the masonry of an ancient Egyptian tomb in which images of the deceased were stored.

From Project Gutenberg

Once the statue was made a stone-house (the serdab) was provided for it above ground.

From Project Gutenberg

As the dolmen is a crude copy of the serdab it can be claimed as one of the ultimate results of the practice of mummification.

From Project Gutenberg