Egyptian darkness

Egypt·ian dark·ness
UK/ɪˌd͡ʒɪpʃn̩ ˈdɑːknəs/US/əˌd͡ʒɪpʃən ˈdɑɹknəs/

noun

Very intense darkness; pitch darkness.

Meanings

nounEgyptian darkness (uncountable)
  1. dateduncountableVery intense darkness; pitch darkness.

    'An Egyptian darkness,' Demyan Lukich remarked, lifting the blind a little.

    1970, Margarete Orga, editor, The House on the Fontanka, Kimber, page 67
    1 more example

    Except for the shaft of light thrown by her own headlamps, the darkness was Egyptian.

    1933, Dorothy Sayers, Murder Must Advertise, Harcourt, Brace, page 146

Origin

From Egyptian (adjective) + darkness, referring to the ninth of the ten Plagues of Egypt which God inflicted on the Egyptians to convince the Pharaoh to free the enslaved Israelites, described in Exodus 10:21–23 of the Bible (King James Version, spelling modernized): “And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven: and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.”

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic ظلام دامس
  • ظلام دامس (ẓalām dāmis)very intense darkness (cognates) — see also pitch darkness
Hindi घोर अंधकार
  • घोर अंधकार (ghor andhkār)very intense darkness (cognates) — see also pitch darkness
Japanese 暗黒
  • 暗黒 (ankoku)very intense darkness (cognates) — see also pitch darkness
Polish egipskie ciemności
  • egipskie ciemnościvery intense darkness (cognates) — see also pitch darkness
Russian тьма еги́петская
  • тьма еги́петская (tʹma jegípetskaja)very intense darkness (cognates) — see also pitch darkness

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with Egyptian darkness

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

Egyptian darkness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Egyptian%20darkness

MLA

“Egyptian darkness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Egyptian%20darkness. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Egyptian darkness,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Egyptian%20darkness.

Source: Egyptian darkness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.