Pronunciation: ˌ h ī -( ə -)r ə - ' gli-fik
Variant: also hi · ero · glyph · i · cal \ -fi-k ə l \
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle French hieroglyphique, from Late Latin hieroglyphicus, from Greek hieroglyphikos, from hieros + glyphein to carve ― more at CLEAVE
Date: 1585
1 : written in, constituting, or belonging to a system of writing mainly in pictorial characters
2 : inscribed with hieroglyphic
3 : resembling hieroglyphic in difficulty of decipherment
– hi · ero · glyph · i · cal · ly \ -fi-k( ə -)l ē \ adverb