glyph

American  

[glif] / glɪf /

noun

1. a pictograph or hieroglyph.

2. a sculptured figure or relief carving.

3. Architecture. an ornamental channel or groove.

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glyph British  

/ ɡlɪf /

noun

1. a carved channel or groove, esp a vertical one as used on a Doric frieze

2. rare another word for hieroglyphic

3. any computer-generated character regarded in terms of its shape and bit pattern

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Other Word Forms

• glyphic adjective

Etymology

Origin of glyph

First recorded in 1720–30; from Greek glyph(ḗ) “a carving,” derivative of glýphein “to carve, hollow out”

Example Sentences

It vibrates in my hands, and the glyphs glow in response.

From Literature

Ancient Maya glyphs trace the history of Ucanal in northern Guatemala.

From Science Magazine

Haring made uninflected linear drawings almost exclusively glyphs and pictographs, like Paleolithic cave art with an agitated urban edge.

From Los Angeles Times

The monument acknowledges this history via a ring of lights around the perimeter, each sporting a glyph representing a historical event.

From Los Angeles Times

“I asked him to elaborate, and he explained that the stone had a carving with the Maya calendar and other glyphs.”

From New York Times