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Pictogram vs Hieroglyphic - What's the difference?

pictogram | hieroglyphic |

As nouns the difference between pictogram and hieroglyphic

is that pictogram is a picture that represents a word or an idea by illustration while hieroglyphic is a writing system of ancient Egypt, Minoans, Maya and other civilizations, using pictorial symbols to represent individual sounds as a rebus.

As an adjective hieroglyphic is

of, relating to, or written with this system of symbols.

pictogram

English

(wikipedia pictogram)

Alternative forms

* pictogramme (rare)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A picture that represents a word or an idea by illustration.

    • Usage notes

    Strictly speaking, a pictogram'' represents by illustration, an ''ideogram'' represents an idea, and a ''logogram'' represents a word: Chinese characters are all logograms, but few are pictograms or ideograms. Casually, ''pictogram is used to represent all of these: it is a picture representing some concept.

    Synonyms

    * pictograph * hieroglyph

    Related terms

    * ideogram * logogram ----

    hieroglyphic

    English

    typical of the Graeco-Roman period.

    Alternative forms

    * hieroglyphick

    Noun

    (wikipedia hieroglyphic) (en noun)
  • (chiefly, in the plural) a writing system of ancient Egypt, Minoans, Maya and other civilizations, using pictorial symbols to represent individual sounds as a rebus
  • any symbol used in this system; a hieroglyph
  • (by extension) undecipherable handwriting or secret symbol

    • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • of, relating to, or written with this system of symbols
    • hieroglyphic writing
    hieroglyphic obelisk
  • difficult to decipher