hieroglyph

IPA/ˈhaɪərəɡlɪf/
KK[hˌaɪroɡlˈɪf]IPA/ˈhaɪərəɡlɪf/

hieroglyph — noun

  • hieroglyphsingular
  • hieroglyphsplural

1. a single picture or figure carved into stone or painted onto a surface, used in

1.nounB2
Definition

a single picture or figure carved into stone or painted onto a surface, used in certain ancient cultures — most famously in Egypt — as a way of writing where each shape stands for either a word, a syllable, or a basic sound

Example

The guide showed the class a bird hieroglyph that stood for the letter 'a'.

a hieroglyph represented the letter [X]

Amara spent the summer copying each hieroglyph from the temple wall into a notebook.

Common collocations
  • carve a hieroglyph
  • paint a hieroglyph
  • read a hieroglyph
  • decipher a hieroglyph
  • a row of hieroglyphs
  • ancient hieroglyphs
Synonyms
  • pictograph

    A picture that represents an idea or object, not necessarily part of a language system; less specific than hieroglyph.

  • ideogram

    A symbol that represents an idea rather than a specific word or sound; commonly used for Chinese characters.

  • glyph

    A carved or incised symbol of any kind; broader and more technical than hieroglyph.

Grammar Patterns

a hieroglyph of [something]

Usage Note

Hieroglyph is a countable noun — each individual picture or symbol is one hieroglyph. To refer to the entire system of writing, use the uncountable noun hieroglyphics or the adjective hieroglyphic.

Common Mistakes

Scholars are studying the ancient hieroglyph on the wall.' (when referring to the whole system)
Scholars are studying the ancient hieroglyphs on the wall.
When talking about a collection of symbols, use the plural 'hieroglyphs.' The singular 'hieroglyph' names a single character.

2. writing or marks that are so messy, unclear, or confusing that they look like an

2.nounC1
Definition

writing or marks that are so messy, unclear, or confusing that they look like ancient picture symbols and cannot be easily read

Example

Sofia slid the note to Diego and whispered, "Is this readable? It looks like hieroglyphs."

looks like hieroglyphs to [someone]

The old recipe was full of faded ink and looked more like hieroglyphs than words.

looked more like hieroglyphs than [something]

Common collocations
  • look like hieroglyphs
  • resemble hieroglyphs
  • hieroglyphs on the page
Synonyms
  • scrawl

    Messy or hurried handwriting; less dramatic than hieroglyph and does not carry the comparison to ancient writing.

  • scribble

    Careless, quick writing; focuses on the act of writing rather than the unreadable result.

Grammar Patterns

look like hieroglyphs

hieroglyphs of [something]

Usage Note

This sense is almost always used in the plural (hieroglyphs) and works best in informal, conversational contexts. You would not normally use the singular in this meaning — 'a hieroglyph' sounds odd when you mean illegible text.

Common Mistakes

The doctor's handwriting is a hieroglyph.
The doctor's handwriting looks like hieroglyphs.
In the figurative sense, use the plural 'hieroglyphs' to describe a block of text that is hard to read.

Word family

  • hieroglyphic
    adjectiveB2
  • hieroglyphics
    nounB2
  • hieroglyphically
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Hieroglyph, pictograph, ideogram, glyph, and petroglyph all refer to visual symbols, but they differ in scope and context. A hieroglyph is specifically part of a structured writing system, most famously ancient Egyptian, where each symbol can represent a sound, syllable, or whole word. A pictograph is a broader term for any picture that conveys meaning — think of cave drawings or modern washroom signs — but it does not imply a full writing system. An ideogram stands for an idea or concept (e.g., the number '2' or a peace sign) rather than a specific word; Chinese characters function as logograms that are partly ideographic. Glyph is the most general term, meaning any carved or inscribed mark, from ancient runes to the symbols in modern fonts. A petroglyph specifically refers to a rock carving made by prehistoric peoples, often a pictograph carved into stone rather than part of a formal script. Use hieroglyph when you mean a symbol from a formal picture-based writing system, and reserve pictograph or petroglyph for prehistoric rock art; use ideogram for concept-based symbols; and use glyph when you need a neutral, technical term for any carved character.

pictographideogram ↗glyph ↗petroglyph

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a row of hieroglyphs
  • a set of hieroglyphs
  • decipher the hieroglyphs

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'hieroglyph' comes from the French 'hiéroglyphe', which was borrowed from Latin 'hieroglyphicus', ultimately from the Greek 'hieroglyphikos'. This Greek word is a combination of 'hieros' (meaning 'sacred') and 'glyphein' (meaning 'to carve'), so the original meaning was 'sacred carving'. The ancient Egyptians called their writing system 'the words of the gods', and Greek visitors to Egypt gave it the name 'hieroglyphics' because they saw the symbols carved on temple walls — sacred places.

First known use

1598

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1