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Definition of Hieroglyphic
1. Adjective. Resembling hieroglyphic writing.
2. Noun. Writing that resembles hieroglyphics (usually by being illegible).
3. Adjective. Written in or belonging to a writing system using pictorial symbols.
4. Noun. A writing system using picture symbols; used in ancient Egypt.
Generic synonyms: Orthography, Writing System
Specialized synonyms: Hieratic, Hieratic Script
Derivative terms: Hieroglyphical
Definition of Hieroglyphic
1. a. Emblematic; expressive of some meaning by characters, pictures, or figures; as, hieroglyphic writing; a hieroglyphic obelisk.
Definition of Hieroglyphic
1. Noun. (chiefly in the plural) a writing system of ancient Egypt, Maya and other civilizations, using pictorial symbols to represent individual sounds as a rebus ¹
2. Noun. any symbol used in this system; a hieroglyph ¹
3. Noun. (context: by extension) undecipherable handwriting or secret symbol ¹
4. Adjective. of, relating to, or written with this system of symbols ¹
5. Adjective. difficult to decipher ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Hieroglyphic
1. [n -S]
Medical Definition of Hieroglyphic
1. 1. A sacred character; a character in picture writing, as of the ancient Egyptians, Mexicans, etc. Specifically, in the plural, the picture writing of the ancient Egyptian priests. It is made up of three, or, as some say, four classes of characters: first, the hieroglyphic proper, or figurative, in which the representation of the object conveys the idea of the object itself; second, the ideographic, consisting of symbols representing ideas, not sounds, as an ostrich feather is a symbol of truth; third, the phonetic, consisting of symbols employed as syllables of a word, or as letters of the alphabet, having a certain sound, as a hawk represented the vowel a. 2. Any character or figure which has, or is supposed to have, a hidden or mysterious significance; hence, any unintelligible or illegible character or mark. Origin: Cf. F. Hieroglyphe. See Hieroglyphic. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Hieroglyphic
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