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glyph

glyph

15 8.9
A carved or written sign that stands for something in writing
  • noun
  • /ɡlɪf/
: glifo
  • The hieroglyphic scripts of the ancient Maya are only 60-70% deciphered; some of the remaining untranslated glyphs are undoubtedly of astronomical content.
  • Maya glyphs
  • Mayan glyphs
  • deciphering Maya glyphs

So each of those little glyphs is several words.

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Examples

  • Scholars are studying the scans to determine the types of tools used to carve the glyphs.

    Academic text (2009)
  • This... this glyph here, that means "bird".

  • Each head glyph below signals a place in the count.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The large introductory glyph signals that a date will follow.

    Academic text (2009)
  • To Batman, Gotham City is also a glyph for New York.

  • Each of those boxes in the Mayan tradition represents one of the world ages of the past, and each glyph tells us how that world age ended.

  • The scenes and glyphs on vases and ruins revealed a new picture of the Maya.

    Academic text (2003)
  • The ancient stone tablet had a glyph that represented a sun god.

  • Scholars study the glyphs on medieval manuscripts to understand historical texts.

  • Each glyph in the hieroglyphic alphabet corresponds to a specific sound or concept.

Synonyms

character
vsglyph
136 3.2

A written sign such as a letter or number

is carved or formed physically rather than produced by ink or print
symbol
vsglyph
73 2.7

A mark, like a letter, that stands for something

is a carved or raised mark often forming part of an ancient writing system
graphic symbol
vsglyph
  • Specialized
5.9

A written sign that stands for a sound, word, or idea

is carved or raised, made by cutting figures into a hard surface
written symbol
vsglyph
4.2

A written mark, like a letter, that stands for a sound or idea

is carved or inscribed, often raised on a hard surface

How Magical

talisman
37 8.2
charm
92 2.3
sigil
4 9.9
glyph
15 8.9
relic
92 5.3
symbol
625 3.5
sign
∞ 3.2

Surface Forms

glyph singular
glyphs plural

Etymology

The word glyph comes from the Greek glyphein, meaning 'to carve', and you see the same root in hieroglyph ('sacred carving'). So a glyph is a carved or written mark or symbol, which is why the word today means a symbol cut into a surface or used in a writing system.