hieroglyphic

[ hahy-er-uh-glif-ik, hahy-ruh- ]

See synonyms for: hieroglyphic hieroglyphics on Thesaurus.com

adjective

Also hi·er·o·glyph·i·cal. designating or pertaining to a pictographic script, particularly that of the ancient Egyptians, in which many of the symbols are conventionalized, recognizable pictures of the things represented.
inscribed with hieroglyphic symbols.

hard to decipher; hard to read.

noun

Also hi·er·o·glyph . a hieroglyphic symbol.
Usually hieroglyphics. hieroglyphic writing.

a figure or symbol with a hidden meaning.
hieroglyphics, handwriting, figures, characters, code, etc., difficult to decipher: the confusing hieroglyphics of advanced mathematics.

Origin of hieroglyphic

1575–85; <Late Latin hieroglyphicus <Greek hieroglyphikós “pertaining to sacred writing.” See hiero-, glyph, -ic

Other words from hieroglyphic

hi·er·o·glyph·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby hieroglyphic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hieroglyphic in a sentence

Self-described “divine lords” at a Maya site called Tamarindito in what’s now Guatemala left glowing hieroglyphic tributes to themselves as heads of a powerful “Foliated Scroll” dynasty.
Some Maya rulers may have taken generations to attract subjects | Bruce Bower | November 17, 2022 | Science News
Not for twenty necklaces and a whole file of hieroglyphic passes would she doubt Frank any more.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
Moreover, the inscriptions on hieroglyphic rocks in these abandoned cities evidently refer to Amazons.
Overland | John William De Forest
Of the Nahua hieroglyphic system and its capabilities enough has been said elsewhere.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 5 | Hubert Howe Bancroft
We have first the Aztec monuments and hieroglyphic scrolls, for the most part undeciphered.
Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1 | Andrew Lang

Pythagoras was the last of the Greek sages who made use of hieroglyphic writings and transmitted his doctrine in ancient language.
An Epitome of the History of Medicine | Roswell Park

British Dictionary definitions for hieroglyphic

hieroglyphic

/ (ˌhaɪərəˈɡlɪfɪk) /

adjectiveAlso: hieroglyphical

of or relating to a form of writing using picture symbols, esp as used in ancient Egypt
written with hieroglyphic symbols

difficult to read or decipher

nounAlso: hieroglyph

a picture or symbol representing an object, concept, or sound
a symbol or picture that is difficult to read or decipher

Origin of hieroglyphic

C16: from Late Latin hieroglyphicus, from Greek hierogluphikos, from hiero- + gluphē carving, from gluphein to carve

Derived forms of hieroglyphic

hieroglyphically, adverb
hieroglyphist (ˌhaɪərəˈɡlɪfɪst, ˌhaɪəˈrɒɡ-), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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