hieroglyph

Meanings

Noun

• An element of an ideographic (hieroglyphic) writing system.
• Any obscure or baffling symbol.

Verb

• To represent by hieroglyphs.

Origin

• First attested around 1598, a back-formation from hieroglyphic (1580s), from Middle French hiéroglyphique, from Late Latin hieroglyphicus, from Ancient Greek ἱερογλυφικός (Plutarch τά ἱερογλυφικά [γράμματα] "hieroglyphic [writing]), ἱερόγλυφος (Ptolemy), a compound of ἱερός and γλυφή, a calque of Egyptian mdw nṯr ("the god’s word"), nTr-md.