picture writing
- noun
- /ˈpɪk.tʃər ˈraɪ.tɪŋ/
- Specialized
:
escritura pictográfica
- The museum displays artifacts covered in picture writing from early Native American cultures.
Examples
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Ancient Egyptians used picture writing in their hieroglyphics.
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Researchers study how children interpret picture writing in educational settings.
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Ancient Egyptians used picture writing called hieroglyphics to record their language.
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The picture writings found in caves tell stories of early humans.
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Ancient Egyptians used picture writing to create records of their history.
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The ancient Mayans developed a complex system of picture writing that conveyed their language.
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Artifacts from the time of the dinosaurs show that early humans may have used picture writing in their communication.
Synonyms
2
3.5
A way to show a language's words using letters or characters
A way of sending messages or keeping records using pictures instead of words
Symbols that show ideas instead of words or sounds
How Pictorial
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
9.9
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a system of writing that uses pictorial symbols' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'picture' (an image) with 'writing' (symbols on a surface): it names a type of writing made of pictures. This noun–noun compounding is a regular, compositional pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Picture writing comes from the idea of using a picture instead of a letter in writing. People drew or carved images like a fish or the sun to stand for a thing, an idea, or a sound, so 'picture writing' means a way of using pictures to show words, ideas, or sounds.