hieroglyphic

Meanings

1. A writing system of ancient Egypt, Minoans, Maya and other civilizations, using pictorial symbols to represent individual sounds, often as a rebus.
2. Any symbol used in this system; a hieroglyph.
3. Undecipherable handwriting or secret symbol.

1. Of, relating to, or written with such a system of symbols.
2. Difficult to decipher.

Etymology

First coined 1726, from French hiéroglyphique, from Latin hieroglyphicus, from Ancient Greek ἱερογλυφικός (hierogluphikós), from ἱερογλυφέω (hierogluphéō, “to represent hieroglyphically”), from ἱερός (hierós, “sacred, holy”) + γλύφω (glúphō, “to carve, to engrave, to cut out”). By surface analysis, hiero- + glyphic.