glyph

American  

[glif] / glɪf /

noun

1. a pictograph or hieroglyph.

2. a sculptured figure or relief carving.

3. Architecture. an ornamental channel or groove.

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glyph British  

/ ɡlɪf /

noun

1. a carved channel or groove, esp a vertical one as used on a Doric frieze

2. rare another word for hieroglyphic

3. any computer-generated character regarded in terms of its shape and bit pattern

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Other Word Forms

• glyphic adjective

Etymology

Origin of glyph

First recorded in 1720–30; from Greek glyph(ḗ) “a carving,” derivative of glýphein “to carve, hollow out”

Example Sentences

The monument acknowledges this history via a ring of lights around the perimeter, each sporting a glyph representing a historical event.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2023

In one glyph, the Sak Tz’i’ ruler appears as the dancing Yopaat, a divinity associated with violent tropical storms.

From New York Times • Sep. 13, 2022

Only from the air does the layout finally resolve into an elegant glyph.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 21, 2022

In 1931 Cœdès concluded that the numeration system used in the inscribed date, 605, was decimal in nature and positional in conception and that the central glyph was an empty placeholder, a zero.

From Scientific American • Jul. 28, 2022

To a modern eye, Mayan glyph writing is about as alien-looking as you can get.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife