hierogram

American  

[hahy-er-uh-gram, hahy-ruh-] / ˈhaɪ ər əˌgræm, ˈhaɪ rə- /

noun

1. a sacred symbol, as an emblem, pictograph, or the like.

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hierogram British  

/ ˈhaɪərəˌɡræm /

noun

1. a sacred symbol

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Etymology

Origin of hierogram

First recorded in 1650–60; hiero- + -gram ¹

Explanation

A hierogram is a sacred symbol, an image representing some religious, mystical, or spiritual meaning in a particular culture. In ancient Egypt, an ankh — a cross with a looped top — was a hierogram representing life, including the afterlife. A hierogram might be a geometric design or an image of a living thing. The tree of life is a hierogram used in many different cultures and religions, often representing the interconnectedness of all living things, past and present. A hierogram is not the same thing as a hieroglyph, a character representing a sound or word in the writing system of ancient Egypt. Instead, a hierogram, from the Greek hieros, "sacred," and gramma, "something drawn," stands on its own as a sacred symbol.

Example Sentences

The portals of all the Egyptian Temples are decorated with the hierogram of the Circle and the Serpent.

From Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Pike, Albert

The plan on which Abury was built, is that sacred hierogram of the Egyptians and other ancient nations, the circle and snake.

From The God-Idea of the Ancients or Sex in Religion by Gamble, Eliza Burt

The Mexican hierogram was formed by the intersecting of two great Serpents, which described the circle with their bodies, and had each a human head in its mouth.

From Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Pike, Albert