hieratic
Americanadjective
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Also hieratical. of or relating to priests or the priesthood; sacerdotal; priestly.
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noting or pertaining to a form of ancient Egyptian writing consisting of abridged forms of hieroglyphics, used by the priests in their records.
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noting or pertaining to certain styles in art in which the representations or methods are fixed by or as if by religious tradition.
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highly restrained or severe in emotional import.
Some of the more hieratic sculptures leave the viewer curiously unmoved.
noun
adjective
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of or relating to priests
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of or relating to a cursive form of hieroglyphics used by priests in ancient Egypt
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of or relating to styles in art that adhere to certain fixed types or methods, as in ancient Egypt
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hieratic
1650–60; < Latin hierāticus < Greek hierātikós pertaining to the priesthood, priestly, equivalent to hierā-, variant stem of hierâsthai to perform priestly functions (verbal derivative of hierós sacred; see hiero-) + -ikos -ic, with -t- by analogy with derivatives from agent nouns in -tēs ( cf. athlete, athletic)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Egyptians also developed a simplified version of this hieroglyphic script known as hieratic, which they often employed for more mundane purposes such as recordkeeping and issuing receipts in commercial transactions.
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
The images were only applied in paint, but the hieratic texts were written in black or red ink and later traced, coarsely, with a knife.
From New York Times • Dec. 30, 2019
At the same time, its static, hieratic text, derived largely from ancient Egyptian and Akkadian sources, lies far outside the operatic norm, and makes most American librettos of recent decades look bland.
From The New Yorker • Dec. 4, 2016
This half boast, half ambition puts Google into a long line of hieratic readers of the sky, and has a nice a touch of Kabbalah as well.
From Salon • Jul. 19, 2015
Obliterated as the old Hellenic religion appeared to be by Christianity, it nevertheless retained a certain life, though transformed, under the new creed to which it lent much of its hieratic organization and religious terminology.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 5 "Greek Law" to "Ground-Squirrel" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
