hieroglyphic

1 of 2

adjective

hi·​ero·​glyph·​ic ˌhī-(ə-)rə-ˈgli-fik How to pronounce hieroglyphic (audio)
variants or less commonly hieroglyphical
1
: written in, constituting, or belonging to a system of writing mainly in pictorial characters
2
: inscribed with hieroglyphic
3
: resembling hieroglyphic in difficulty of decipherment
hieroglyphically adverb

hieroglyphic

2 of 2

noun

1
2
: a system of hieroglyphic writing
specifically : the picture script of the ancient Egyptian priesthood
often used in plural but singular or plural in construction
3
: something that resembles a hieroglyph especially in difficulty of decipherment

Illustration of hieroglyphic

Illustration of hieroglyphic
  • hieroglyphic 2

Did you know?

If hieroglyphic writing is "all Greek to you," you know more about the etymology of hieroglyphic than you might think. That word comes from the Greek hieroglyphikos, which means "sacred carving" (from hieros, meaning "sacred," and glyphein, meaning "to carve"). The ancient Greeks who named hieroglyphic writing reserved that term for the picture writing they found carved in temple walls or on public monuments in Egypt; it was distinguished from writings done in ink on papyrus or other smooth surfaces. But since making their first appearances in English in the 1580s, both the noun hieroglyphics and the adjective hieroglyphic have been extended to apply to the picture writing of various cultures, whether or not those writings were carved or sacred.

Examples of hieroglyphic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
These freestyle braids take the shape of mesmerizing twirls, swirls, and symbols that emulate hieroglyphic script hiding a celestial message. Oyetunde Olubowale, Allure, 20 Dec. 2023 Lucero based this suggestion on evidence gleaned from archaeological excavations, settlement maps, sediment cores, current wetlands, and iconographic and hieroglyphic records. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 9 Oct. 2023 Furthermore, whatever the would-be decoder figured out regarding one hieroglyphic text might not be transferrable to another. The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2021 In the Penn Museum’s collection is a part of a priest’s burial chamber covered in hieroglyphic instructions for living visitors. Leslie Shapiro, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023 Egyptologists recovered the first of these inscriptions in the early decades of the 20th century, noting their clear hieroglyphic influence. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 18 Nov. 2021 In recent decades, the Maya have taken a star turn, as more of their ancient cities in Mexico and Central America have been unearthed and their hieroglyphic texts deciphered. Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 3 Jan. 2012 Inside the New Kingdom tombs, which date back to the 1500s B.C., alabaster statues of the tombs' owners were discovered still intact inside, with hieroglyphic text in blue. Charlene Gubash, NBC News, 27 May 2023 Some, like the Aztec and Maya, had hieroglyphic systems, but those symbols offered little insight into the spoken languages themselves. Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 May 2023
Noun
Inside, archaeologists discovered the jade mask, over 16 rare mollusk shells and human femurs carved with hieroglyphics. Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 The exhibition describes the Angel Moroni’s appearances to Smith and shows what the curators say is a best-guess facsimile of the Golden Plates on which Moroni transcribed the Book of Mormon in unknown Egyptian hieroglyphics. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 20 Jan. 2024 The team also recovered amulets, pottery tools and ostraca—pieces of pottery—that feature hieratic inscriptions, or cursive hieroglyphics. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Jan. 2024 Include numbers, at least one symbol, and — just to be safe — maybe some hieroglyphics. Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 21 Dec. 2023 In the chamber lies a large stone sarcophagus adorned with depictions of goddesses and hieroglyphics meant to safeguard the dead. Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Nov. 2023 But under Netflix’s ownership, the Egyptian’s exterior and interior, ornately adorned with hieroglyphics and sphinxes, have been restored, the theater’s lighting and sound system have been upgraded and the theater has been seismically retrofitted to meet a city mandate. Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2023 When such a check becomes habit, the dreamer can try it while dreaming, which may lead them to encounter strange hieroglyphics or nonsensical time. Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 25 June 2022 Unlike western Eurasia, with its plethora of early methods for recording language, including Sumerian cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Hittite, Minoan, and the Semitic alphabet, China developed just one writing system. Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hieroglyphic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle French hieroglyphique, from Late Latin hieroglyphicus, from Greek hieroglyphikos, from hieros + glyphein to carve — more at cleave

First Known Use

Adjective

1585, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hieroglyphic was in 1585

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near hieroglyphic

Cite this Entry

“Hieroglyphic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hieroglyphic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hieroglyphic

noun
hi·​ero·​glyph·​ic
ˌhī-(ə-)rə-ˈglif-ik
1
2
: a system of writing mainly in pictorial characters
especially : the picture script of the ancient Egyptian priesthood
3
: unclear or unreadable signs or writing
hieroglyphic adjective
Etymology

Noun

derived from early French hieroglyphique (adjective) "relating to or being writing that consists of pictures or symbols rather than words," derived from Greek hieroglyphikos (same meaning), from hieros "sacred, holy" and glyphikos "of carving"; so called because it referred to the system of carvings used on ancient Egyptian temples

More from Merriam-Webster on hieroglyphic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!