logogram

American  

[law-guh-gram, log-uh-] / ˈlɔ gəˌgræm, ˈlɒg ə- /

noun

1. Linguistics. a symbol that represents an entire word directly rather than representing a speech sound, such as a Chinese character.

2. a conventional, abbreviated symbol for a frequently recurring word or phrase, such as the symbol & for the word and.

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logogram British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• logogrammatic adjective
• logogrammatically adverb

Etymology

Origin of logogram

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

Example Sentences

The logogram belongs in the neon sign in the window of Russ & Daughters, a family catering firm whose shop is known, because of its cured salmon, as "the Louvre of lox".

From The Guardian • Aug. 27, 2011

Related to the graphs—their cousins in fact—are the grams: telegram, radiogram, cryptogram, anagram, monogram, diagram, logogram, program, epigram, kilogram, ungrammatical.

From The Century Vocabulary Builder by Bachelor, Joseph M. (Joseph Morris)