ideograph

American  

[id-ee-uh-graf, ahy-dee-] / ˈɪd i əˌgræf, ˈaɪ di- /

noun

1. ideogram.

2. Rhetoric. an ordinary language term that, within a particular ideology, has developed a loose, flexible, nonspecific use that stands for values and ideas present within that ideology, rather than having a specific, concrete meaning.

   In the training materials, is used as an ideograph to reinforce the military hierarchy.

---

Other Word Forms

• ideographic adjective
• ideographical adjective
• ideographically adverb
• unideographic adjective
• unideographical adjective
• unideographically adverb

Etymology

Origin of ideograph

First recorded in 1825–35; ideo- + -graph

Example Sentences

The way I do drought is it’s a big circle of fabric, and the drought is symbolized by the most simple, reduced ideograph of pulling that circle through the floor hole.

From New York Times • Nov. 16, 2022

So very early on, it was very obvious in “The Lion King” that the circle is the ideograph: The Circle of Life.

From New York Times • Nov. 16, 2022

I looked for what I call an ideograph, which is to take the entire concept of the story—a road movie, what is that?

From Slate • Sep. 30, 2020

Investigators found there incendiary bomb fragments with Japanese ideograph markings.

From Time Magazine Archive

She showed her how family clothes were marked with the ideograph “middle,” which is a box with a line through its center.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston