logogram

[ law-guh-gram, log-uh- ]

noun

1. Linguistics. a symbol that represents an entire word directly rather than representing a speech sound, such as a Chinese character. Compare ideogram ( def 1 ), phonogram ( def ).
2. a conventional, abbreviated symbol for a frequently recurring word or phrase, such as the symbol & for the word and.

logogram

/ ˈlɒɡəˌɡrɑːf; -ˌɡræf; ˌlɒɡəˈɡræfɪk; ˌlɒɡəɡrəˈmætɪk; ˈlɒɡəˌɡræm /

noun

1. a single symbol representing an entire morpheme, word, or phrase, as for example the symbol (%) meaning per cent

Derived Forms

• ˌlogogramˈmatically, adverb
• logogrammatic, adjective

Other Words From

• log·o·gram·mat·ic [law-g, uh, -gr, uh, -, mat, -ik, log-, uh, -], adjective
• log·o·gram·mat·i·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of logogram¹

First recorded in 1810–20; logo- + -gram ¹

Example Sentences

The final narrative ends with the legendary inventor of Chinese characters reflecting on his impoverished mother, whose figure — no longer begging for food — is forever preserved in his logograms.

From New York Times

But once he’s added delicate hind legs, spindly forelegs, and the muscular slopes of rump and neck, Traylor invariably arrives at something with the eerie singularity of a Sumerian logogram.

From New York Times

The second strategy uses so-called logograms, meaning that one written sign stands for a whole word.

From Literature

You also created some of the early alien logograms, which you inserted into the script and which inspired the ones used in the film.

From Los Angeles Times

But the Heptapods’ don’t need to maintain that order when writing down language: because the logograms represent entire concepts, sequence doesn’t matter.

From Los Angeles Times