The Collaborative International Dictionary
Egyptian \E*gyp"tian\, a. [L. Aegyptius, Gr. ?, fr. ? (L. Aegyptus) Egypt: cf. F. ['e]gyptien. Cf. Gypsy.] Pertaining to Egypt, in Africa. Egyptian bean. (Bot.)
The beanlike fruit of an aquatic plant ( Nelumbium speciosum), somewhat resembling the water lily.
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See under Bean, 1.
Egyptian cross. See Illust. (No. 6) of Cross.
Egyptian thorn (Bot.), a medium-sized tree ( Acacia vera). It is one of the chief sources of the best gum arabic.
Usage examples of "egyptian cross".
The church stretched before him in the form of an Egyptian cross over three hundred feet long, its three pointed ogive arches and rows of majestic pillars gradually decreasing in distance from each other as they approached the main altar behind which the Ghirlandaio studio had been working for three years.
Fastened to the wall above it was an ancient ankh or crux ansata, the Egyptian cross with looped top, symbolizing procreation and life.