hieratic

[ hahy-uh-rat-ik, hahy-rat- ]

adjective

Also hieratical. of or relating to priests or the priesthood; sacerdotal; priestly.
noting or pertaining to a form of ancient Egyptian writing consisting of abridged forms of hieroglyphics, used by the priests in their records.

noting or pertaining to certain styles in art in which the representations or methods are fixed by or as if by religious tradition.
highly restrained or severe in emotional import: Some of the more hieratic sculptures leave the viewer curiously unmoved.

noun

ancient Egyptian hieratic writing.

Origin of hieratic

1650–60; <Latin hierāticus<Greek hierātikós pertaining to the priesthood, priestly, equivalent to hierā-, variant stem of hierâsthai to perform priestly functions (verbal derivative of hierós sacred; see hiero-) + -ikos-ic, with -t- by analogy with derivatives from agent nouns in -tēs (cf. athlete, athletic)

Other words from hieratic

hi·er·at·i·cal·ly, adverb
non·hi·er·at·ic, adjective
non·hi·er·at·i·cal, adjective
non·hi·er·at·i·cal·ly, adverb
un·hi·er·at·ic, adjective
un·hi·er·at·i·cal, adjective
un·hi·er·at·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby hieratic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hieratic in a sentence

And he ran on, holding the piece of sugar-cane, like some hieratic figure holding a torch in a procession.
Bella Donna | Robert Hichens
In consequence of its symbolical purpose this hieratic series is rather eclectic than cyclopdic in its character.
The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry Withrow
There are about eighteen pages of clear red and black writing in the hieratic character.
Education: How Old The New | James J. Walsh
When—he died his collections remained, and they still remain, as his record in the hieratic language of science.
A Mortal Antipathy | Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
But the exquisite grace of line is gone, as well as the hieratic calm of the expressions and the smiles.
Egypt (La Mort De Philae) | Pierre Loti

British Dictionary definitions for hieratic

hieratic

/ (ˌhaɪəˈrætɪk) /

adjectiveAlso: hieratical

of or relating to priests
of or relating to a cursive form of hieroglyphics used by priests in ancient Egypt

of or relating to styles in art that adhere to certain fixed types or methods, as in ancient Egypt

noun

the hieratic script of ancient Egypt

Origin of hieratic

C17: from Latin hierāticus, from Greek hieratikos, from hiereus a priest, from hieros holy

Derived forms of hieratic

hieratically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse