hieroglyphic
A writing system of ancient Egypt, Minoans, Maya and other civilizations, using…A writing system of ancient Egypt, Minoans, Maya and other civilizations, using pictorial symbols to represent individual sounds, often as a rebus.
» As peace is of all goodness, so war is an emblem, a hieroglyphic, of all misery.
Meaning
3 senses(in the plural)A writing system of ancient Egypt, Minoans, Maya and other civilizations, using pictorial symbols to represent individual sounds, often as a rebus.
иерогли́фикаijeroglífika
ієроглі́фікаijerohlífika
a writing system using picture symbols; used in ancient Egypt
Any symbol used in this system; a hieroglyph.
(broadly)Undecipherable handwriting or secret symbol.
Examples
1 sentencesAs peace is of all goodness, so war is an emblem, a hieroglyphic, of all misery.
Translations
4 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
First coined 1726, from French hiéroglyphique, from Latin hieroglyphicus, from Ancient GreFirst coined 1726, from French hiéroglyphique, from Latin hieroglyphicus, from Ancient Greek ἱερογλυφικός (hierogluphikós), from ἱερογλυφέω (hierogluphéō, “to represent hieroglyphically”), from ἱερός (hierós, “sacred, holy”) + γλύφω (glúphō, “to carve, to engrave, to cut out”). By surface analysis, hiero- + glyphic.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: hieroglyphicsSynonyms
1 synonyms- a writing system using picture symbols; used in ancient Egypt:hieroglyph
- writing that resembles hieroglyphics (usually by being illegible):hieroglyph