mꜣꜥt

Egyptian

The goddess , personification of truth and right

Etymology

An abstract noun formed from mꜣꜥ (“to direct, to be just, to be true”) +‎ -t (“feminine ending”).

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ˈmuʀʕat/ → /ˈmuʀʕaʔ/ → /ˈmuʔʕəʔ/ → /ˈmøʔʕə/

• (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈmuʀʕat/
• (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈmuʀʕaʔ/
• (Amarna-period Late Egyptian, c. 1350 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈmuʔʕəʔ/; compare the Akkadian transcription 𒈬𒀀 (mu-a).
• (latest Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) IPA^(key): /ˈmøʔʕə/

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /mɑʔɑːt/
  • Conventional anglicization: maat

Noun

 f

1. truth
2. right action, righteousness, virtue
3. blamelessness, innocence
4. justice, fairness
5. right order in the state or cosmos

Inflection

Declension of mꜣꜥt (feminine)

singular	mꜣꜥt
dual	mꜣꜥtj
plural	mꜣꜥwt

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of mꜣꜥt  

mꜣꜥt	mꜣꜥt	mꜣꜥt

Antonyms

• jzft
• grg

Descendants

• Demotic: mꜣꜥt
  • Coptic: ⲙⲉ (me) (Sahidic, Old Coptic), ⲙⲉⲉ (mee) (Sahidic), ⲙⲉⲓ (mei) (Bohairic, Fayyumic), ⲙⲏⲓ (mēi) (Bohairic, Fayyumic), ⲙⲉⲉⲓ (meei) (Fayyumic), ⲙⲏⲉ (mēe) (Sahidic, Akhmimic, Lycopolitan), ⲙⲓⲉ (mie) (Akhmimic)

Proper noun

 f

1. Maat, the goddess personifying the above concepts

Derived terms

• nfr-mꜣꜥt

References

• Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1926–1961) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN
• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN.
• Hoch, James (1997) Middle Egyptian Grammar, Mississauga: Benben Publications, →ISBN, page 112