DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan

 hi·ero·glyph /ˈhaɪ(ə)rəˌglɪf/
 象形文字,圖畫文字,祕密文字

 hieroglyph
 象形文字

 Hi·er·o·glyph Hi·er·o·glyph·ic n.
 1. A sacred character; a character used in picture writing, as of the ancient Egyptians, Mexicans, etc. Specifically, in the plural, the picture writing of the ancient Egyptian priests. It is made up of three, or, as some say, four classes of characters: first, the hieroglyphic proper, or figurative, in which the representation of the object conveys the idea of the object itself; second, the ideographic, consisting of symbols representing ideas, not sounds, as an ostrich feather is a symbol of truth; third, the phonetic, consisting of symbols employed as syllables of a word, or as letters of the alphabet, having a certain sound, as a hawk represented the vowel a.
 2. Any character or figure which has, or is supposed to have, a hidden or mysterious significance; hence, any unintelligible or illegible character or mark. [Colloq.]
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 hieroglyph
      n 1: writing that resembles hieroglyphics (usually by being
           illegible) [syn: hieroglyphic]
      2: a writing system using picture symbols; used in ancient
         Egypt [syn: hieroglyphic]