Egypt
/ˈiː.dʒɪpt/noun
A country in northeastern Africa, historically centered on the Nile River.
Did you know?The English name Egypt ultimately comes from Greek Aigyptos, which likely began as the Egyptian name of the city of Memphis, ḥwt-kꜣ-ptḥ, meaning “house of the ka of Ptah,” a temple title tied to a god and a sacred enclosure.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Egyptian
Egyptian
ḥwt-kꜣ-ptḥ
““House of the ka of Ptah,” the temple complex associated with the god Ptah at Memphis”
Late Egyptian / Demotic
Egyptian
Hikuptah
“A later form of the temple name, used for the city of Memphis”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Aígyptos
“The name for Egypt, probably borrowed from the Egyptian temple/city name”
Latin
Latin
Aegyptus
“Egypt”
Old French
Old French
Egypte
“Egypt”
Modern English
English
Egypt
“The modern English name of the country”