serdab

American  

[ser-dahb] / sərˈdɑb /

noun

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

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serdab British  

/ ˈsɜːdæb, səˈdæb /

noun

1. a secret chamber in an ancient Egyptian tomb

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Etymology

Origin of serdab

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

Example Sentences

The serdab, I may perhaps explain," said Mr. Corbeck to me, "is a sort of niche built or hewn in the wall of a tomb.

From The Jewel of Seven Stars by Stoker, Bram

There, in the very spot where I had expected to find it, was the opening of a serdab.

From The Jewel of Seven Stars by Stoker, Bram

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

With a loud click, a metal figure seemed to dart from close to the opening of the serdab; the stone slowly swung back to its place, and shut with a click.

From The Jewel of Seven Stars by Stoker, Bram

The stone which had marked the front of the serdab, and which lay back against the wall within, moved slightly.

From The Jewel of Seven Stars by Stoker, Bram