hieroglyphic adj

1 resembling hieroglyphic writing [syn: hieroglyphical]

2 written in or belonging to a writing system using pictorial symbols [syn: hieroglyphical]

1 writing that resembles hieroglyphics (usually by being illegible) [syn: hieroglyph]

2 a writing system using picture symbols; used in ancient Egypt [syn: hieroglyph]

English

Etymology

First coined 1726, from hiéroglyphique < hieroglyphicus < ἱερογλυφικός < ἱερογλυφέω < ἱερός + γλύφω

Noun

1. especially in plural a writing system of ancient Egypt and Maya civilizations, using pictorial symbols to represent individual sounds as a rebus
2. any symbol used in this system; a hieroglyph
3. In the context of "by extension": undecipherable handwriting

Adjective

hieroglyphic

1. of, relating to, or written with this system of symbols
2. difficult to decipher

Translations

• • Cursive hieroglyphs
• more generally, a character of any logographic or partly logographic writing system.
  • Cretan hieroglyphs
  • Anatolian hieroglyphs
    • Hieroglyphic Luwian
  • Mayan hieroglyphs
  • Olmec hieroglyphs
  • Mi'kmaq hieroglyphic writing
  • a Chinese character (mostly obsolete)

in popular culture

• Hieroglyphics (group), a hip hop group

See also

• Character (sign)
• Sememe
• Hieroglyphica
• Writing in Ancient Egypt
• Bronze Age writing
• List of hieroglyphs

alphabet, arrowhead, art, blueprint, character, charactering, characterization, chart, choreography, conventional representation, cuneiform, dance notation, delineation, demonstration, demotic character, depiction, depictment, determinative, diagram, drama, drawing, exemplification, figuration, grammalogue, hieratic symbol, hieroglyph, hieroglyphics, hiragana, iconography, ideogram, ideograph, illustration, imagery, imaging, kana, katakana, letter, limning, logogram, logograph, map, musical notation, notation, ogham, phonetic, phonetic symbol, pictogram, pictograph, picturization, plan, portraiture, portrayal, prefigurement, presentment, printing, projection, radical, realization, rendering, rendition, representation, rune, schema, score, script, shorthand, syllabary, symbol, tablature, wedge, word letter, writing