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Glite Dictionary
ideography

ideography

1 9.9
A way of writing that uses symbols to show ideas instead of sounds
  • noun
  • /ˌaɪdiˈɒɡrəfi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ideografía
  • Chinese ideography is fascinating to study.

Examples

  • Chinese characters are an example of ideography in practice.

  • The study of ancient scripts often focuses on the principles of ideography.

  • Before the development of the alphabet, many cultures used ideography to communicate complex ideas.

  • The ancient Egyptians used ideography in their writing.

  • The ancient Egyptians used ideography to convey their religious beliefs through symbols.

  • In modern art, some artists explore ideography by creating visual representations of complex ideas.

  • Chinese characters demonstrate an effective form of ideography, where each symbol represents a specific concept.

Synonyms

ideographic script
vsideography
  • Specialized
9.9

Symbols that show ideas instead of words or sounds

is the general practice of using symbols rather than words or sounds
pictography
vsideography
  • Specialized
7.7

A way of sending messages or keeping records using pictures instead of words

uses more abstract idea symbols rather than literal pictures
pasigraphy
vsideography
  • Archaic
9.9

A way of writing that uses signs to show ideas for all languages

is a general system of idea symbols not aimed specifically at international use

Surface Forms

ideography singular
ideographies plural

Morphology

ideography = ideograph (semi-transparent) = ideo + graph + y

The word is built on the recognizable base 'ideograph', but the specialized meaning 'system of writing using ideograms' is not fully predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

The word ideography comes from ideo- ('idea') and -graphy ('writing'), so it means 'writing ideas'. It describes systems, like Chinese characters, that use symbols to show meaning instead of sounds.