hieroglyph

[hahy-er-uh-glif, hahy-ruh-glif]

noun

1. a single symbol in a hieroglyphic writing system.

2. something that resembles a symbol in a hieroglyphic writing system.

Example Sentences

A vulture is used as the hieroglyph for mother, mut being the word for them both, and for the mother goddess of Thebes.

From Salon

Overall she says the video seemed "poorly researched" and pointed out an instance where a teacher in a school scene is reading the hieroglyphs backward when they should be read from right to left.

From BBC

There's also no bilingual artefact like the Rosetta Stone, which helped scholars decode Egyptian hieroglyphs.

From BBC

What initially appears abstract contains hidden images: Wild creatures and undecipherable hieroglyphs lurk in the paint.

From Seattle Times

Initial plans for an exhibition on the Rosetta Stone, the artifact that helped reveal the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphs, also received an unexpected response, Frost recalled.

From New York Times

Related Words

• figure 
• type