heka

H4E1K5A1

noun

A mystic animating force present in the universe, used by deities and people.

OriginEgyptian ḥkꜣ →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

nounheka (uncountable)
  1. uncountableEgyptologyA mystic animating force present in the universe, used by deities and people.

    Endowed with heka, both people and the gods can make words and wishes effective.

    1998, Ogden Goelet, Jr., edited by Eva von Dassow, The Egyptian Book of the Dead, 2nd edition, page 146
    2 more examples

    The distinction between white (life-giving) and black (life-destroying) magic was not simplistically defined, because heka was viewed as a neutral force.

    2004, Rosemary Clark, The Sacred Tradition in Ancient Egypt, page 359

    Heka was especially expressed in words, spoken or written, but also by ritual, often linked to particular stones, plants and incenses.

    2017, Ronald Hutton, The Witch, Yale University Press, published 2018, page 45

Origin

  1. Egyptianḥkꜣ
  2. Englishheka

From Egyptian ḥkꜣ.

More words from Egyptian

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

hakeKahe
Cite this entry
APA

heka. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heka

MLA

“heka.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heka. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “heka,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heka.

Source: heka on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.