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.名詞B2
釋義

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

例句

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.

同義詞
  • 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.

文法句型

a hieroglyph of [something]

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞C1
釋義

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

例句

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]

同義詞
  • 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.

文法句型

look like hieroglyphs

hieroglyphs of [something]

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.