pictograph

noun

pic·​to·​graph ˈpik-tə-ˌgraf How to pronounce pictograph (audio)
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
pictographic adjective

Examples of pictograph in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Lower Pecos River Region — Amistad National Recreation Area, Texas (Credit: Arabel Mortimer/Shutterstock) More than 300 pictograph sites have been documented in the caves, overhangs, and rocks in the Lower Pecos River Region. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 24 Sep. 2024 The temporal framing for the exhibition, 1780s to 1920s, comes from the pictograph in which each year is marked by a picture or a glyph that marks an important event that happened in that year. Carin Schoppmeyer, arkansasonline.com, 22 Sep. 2024 Winter counts follow the tradition of creating a pictograph, a record in which a single image or glyph each represent important historical events within a certain community This is a Northern Plains creation and catalogs more than 130 years, spanning 1785 to 1922. April Wallace, arkansasonline.com, 12 Sep. 2024 They are woven into the California tribe’s stories and appear in ancient pictographs painted by ancestors on the walls of a rock shelter in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Tyrone Beason, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for pictograph 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pictograph.' 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

Latin pictus + English -o- + -graph

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pictograph was in 1851

Dictionary Entries Near pictograph

Cite this Entry

“Pictograph.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pictograph. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

pictograph

noun
pic·​to·​graph ˈpik-tə-ˌgraf How to pronounce pictograph (audio)
1
: an ancient or prehistoric drawing or painting on a rock wall
2
: one of the symbols of a system of picture writing
3
: a diagram representing statistical information by pictures which can be varied in color, size, or number to indicate change
pictographic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on pictograph

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