SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

ideography

noun ide·og·ra·phy \ ˌi-dē-ˈä-grə-fē , ˌī- \

Definition of ideography

1 : the use of ideograms

2 : the representation of ideas by graphic symbols

First Known Use of ideography

circa 1846

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Learn More about ideography

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ideography

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up ideography? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

cajole

play

to coax or persuade

Words at Play

alt-5b05d8545c817

'Folksonomy': Let’s Get Organized

Tag the way you want to tag.

12 Words from All Over the Map

Some words say exactly where they're from

alt-5b032d1aef0e9

'Ingenious' and 'Ingenuous': More Than a Typo

One's clever, the other's like a child

alt-5b0310daaafde

A Matter-of-Fact Look at 'Deadpan'

Surely we can be serious.

Ask the Editors

video-ghost-words

Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-literally

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

We’re already at the end of May?!

Take the quiz

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

How familiar are you with Nabokov’s unfamiliar vocabulary?

Take the quiz

Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz

Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

Play the game