pictograph

noun pic·to·graph \ ˈpik-tə-ˌgraf \

Updated on: 5 Apr 2018

Definition of pictograph

1 : an ancient or prehistoric drawing or painting on a rock wall

2 : one of the symbols belonging to a pictorial graphic system

3 : a diagram representing statistical data by pictorial forms

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pictographic

play \ˌpik-tə-ˈgra-fik\ adjective

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Recent Examples of pictograph from the Web

The mural's diamonds, pinwheels, cubes and pictographs suggest a freestyle Native American rug, its trails of dripping ink like loose, dangling threads.

— leah ollman, latimes.com, "For Nathan Hayden at CB1 Gallery, the smaller the canvas, the bigger the effect," 13 Mar. 2018
Roche-a-Cri State Park, Friendship This park in central Wisconsin protects one of the only spots in the state for the public to see petroglyphs and pictographs.

— chelsey lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "5 Wisconsin state parks with bargain rates for campers this summer," 1 Mar. 2018
Occasionally, two or three of Baras’ roughly hewn pictographs on burlap, wood and canvas appear to be shouting across the gallery.

— david pagel, latimes.com, "How Yevgeniya Baras' pictographs carry a language all their own," 5 Feb. 2018
As the 4,000-year-old pictographs still visible along its steep canyon walls attest, it is saturated in history.

— stephen harrigan, New York Times, "An Unconventional History of Texas, From a Writer With the State in His Veins," 5 Jan. 2018
At Flag Point in southern Utah, for example, Native Americans chiseled pictographs of three-toed footprints, inspired by dinosaur tracks in the surrounding Jurassic rock.

— brian switek, Smithsonian, "What Makes a Dinosaur a Dinosaur?," 8 Dec. 2017
The mound also has ancient petroglyphs and pictographs scrawled into its tan rock base.

— chelsey lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "13 places to see fall colors from up high in Wisconsin," 28 Sep. 2017
Inspired by Japanese pictographs and the films of Russian director Sergei Eisenstein to explore visual ways storytelling, Mr. Lerner began making short films in the early 1950s.

— matt schudel, Washington Post, "Murray Lerner, Oscar-winning documentarian who captured rock history, dies at 90," 5 Sep. 2017
And in 2015, geology students from Ohio State University used a marker to draw a heart and their names over a pictograph of a red horse during a field trip to Utah’s Manti-La Sal National Forest.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Vandals Deface Rock Art In Chad’s Ennedi World Heritage Site," 23 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pictograph.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of pictograph

Latin pictus + English -o- + -graph

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1851

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Alphabet Terms

cuneiform, linear, minuscule, rune, symbology, wedge

PICTOGRAPH Defined for Kids

pictograph

noun pic·to·graph \ ˈpik-tə-ˌgraf \

Definition of pictograph for Students

1 : an ancient or prehistoric drawing or painting on a rock wall

2 : a diagram showing information by means of pictures

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pictographic

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