pictograph
pictograph Lexical Profile
pictograph Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A pictorial symbol or character that represents a word, phrase, or physical object through direct visual resemblance, especially in early writing systems.
"Early Sumerian cuneiform evolved from simple clay pictographs that looked like the goods being traded."
An ancient or prehistoric drawing or painting executed on a rock wall or cave surface, as distinguished from a carved petroglyph.
"Archaeologists documented dozens of red ochre pictographs along the canyon walls."
A chart or graph that uses small pictures or icons to represent statistical data and numerical quantities.
"The elementary school textbook used a pictograph of apples to teach students how to read data tables."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse a 'pictograph' with an 'ideogram': a pictograph visually resembles a concrete physical object (such as a drawing of the sun), whereas an ideogram represents an abstract concept or idea (such as warmth or light).
• Rhymes for pictograph
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the mid-19th century as a hybrid compound from the Latin 'pictus' (past participle of 'pingere', meaning 'to paint') and the Ancient Greek '-graphos' (meaning 'written' or 'drawn').