hieroglyph

/ˈhaɪərəˌɡlɪf/
noun
  1. A picture or symbol that represents a word, sound, or idea, especially in the writing system of ancient Egypt.
    • The museum displayed a stone tablet covered with carved hieroglyphs.
    • Scholars spent years trying to decode the meaning of a single hieroglyph.
    • Each hieroglyph in the inscription told part of the story of the pharaoh's life.
  2. A written symbol that is difficult to read or understand, like a secret code.
    • The doctor's prescription looked like a hieroglyph to me.
    • To the untrained eye, the ancient manuscript seemed nothing but a jumble of hieroglyphs.
    • Her notes were full of personal hieroglyphs that only she could decipher.
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