ushabti

/uːˈʃabti/

Etymology

Borrowed from Egyptian w-S-b-t:y-A53 (wšbtj, “ushabti”, literally “answerer”), by folk etymology from earlier SA-wA-b-t:y-A53 (šꜣwꜣbtj), perhaps from S-wA-b-M1 (šwꜣb, “persea (tree)”), which may have been the material they were originally made from.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.

Why this word is great

USHABTI — [Noun] In Ancient Egypt, a figurine placed in tombs to serve as a magical laborer for the deceased in the afterlife. From the Egyptian wšbtj ("answerer"), likely rooted in šwꜣb ("persea tree"), the wood they were first carved from. Unlike "shabti" (an earlier term, sometimes tied to specific dynasties) or "funerary statue" (a generic tomb guardian), the ushabti was a contract sworn in clay: bound by spell to till fields, haul water, and answer when the gods called the dead to work. It is the small figure with hoe and basket, knees bent in eternal readiness; the silent servant painted with the owner’s name in precise black ink; the humble proxy standing in neat rows, ready to spare their master even the lightest toil—proof that the fear of drudgery outlives the body itself.

noun

In Ancient Egypt, a figurine of a dead person, placed in their tomb to do their work for them in the afterlife.“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 [...].”