I. ˈhī(ə)rəˌglif, -rō- noun
( -s )
Etymology: French hiéroglyphe, from Middle French hieroglyphe, back-formation from hieroglyphique
1. : a character used in a system of hieroglyphic writing
Maya hieroglyphs were sculptured or … incised on stone stelae — J.E.S.Thompson
especially in ancient Egypt
hieroglyphs often occur on monuments written vertically and from left to right — J.E.M.White
— compare ideogram
2. : something that resembles a hieroglyph in form or symbolism
the river glistened in a hieroglyph across the country — D.H.Lawrence
at the corners of her eyes and mouth were written the decipherable hieroglyphs of disillusion — Helen Howe
symbolic hieroglyphs consisting of nothing more than a few brush strokes — Times Literary Supplement
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to express in or inscribe with hieroglyphs
the first hieroglyphed sarcophagus we had yet seen — Amelia B. Edwards