serdab

American  

[ser-dahb] / sərˈdɑb /

noun

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

---

serdab British  

/ ˈsɜːdæb, səˈdæb /

noun

1. a secret chamber in an ancient Egyptian tomb

---

Etymology

Origin of serdab

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

Example Sentences

During the Ancient Empire, the funerary portrait statues were always immured in the serdab.

From Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to the Study of Antiquities in Egypt by Maspero, G. (Gaston)

Depend upon it, there was—there is—a serdab; and that in it, when it is discovered, we shall find the lamps.

From The Jewel of Seven Stars by Stoker, Bram

The word serdab is merely the Arabic word used by the native workmen, which has been adopted and converted into a technical term by European archæologists.

From The Evolution of the Dragon by Smith, G. Elliot

Plan of serdab and chapel in mastaba of Thenti 133.

From Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to the Study of Antiquities in Egypt by Maspero, G. (Gaston)

The ground floor, except for the serdab, is given up to kitchens, store-rooms, servants' quarters, stables, &c.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2 "Baconthorpe" to "Bankruptcy" by Various