ideographn.
/ˈɪdɪəɡrɑːf/, /ˈɪdɪəɡraf/, /ˈʌɪdɪəɡrɑːf/, /ˈʌɪdɪəɡraf/, U.S. /ˈɪdiəˌɡræf/, /ˈaɪdiəˌɡræf/ A character or figure in a writing system that represents something conceptually without depending on a particular name for it, as in Chinese characters and most Egyptian hieroglyphics or in numerals.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > written character > [noun] > ideogram
ideograph1835
ideographic1837
ideogram1838
ideoglyph1847
ideophonetics1876
main sign1886
1835 C. W. Wall Examin. Anc. Orthogr. Jews: Pt. 1 i. 13 The Greeks..called them hieroglyphs; but the word is now taken in a more general sense, and applied to ideagraphs of every kind.
1836 E. Henderson Divine Inspiration viii. 428 Nor is it at all improbable, that variæ lectiones existed in the very first copies that were transcribed from the inspired idiographs.
1838 Blackwood's Mag. 43 652 The old Egyptians in their hieroglyphics did..signify a wise..man by the symbolic representation or ideagraph of a nose.
1883 A. H. Sayce Fresh Light from Anc. Monuments 19 Thus in English, the ideograph + may be pronounced ‘plus’, ‘added to’, or ‘more’, according to the pleasure of the reader.
1911 Encycl. Brit. XV. 172 The usual charge for advertisement is from 7d. to one shilling per line of 22 ideographs (about nine words).
1951 H. Kenner Poetry E. Pound 89 The Chinese ideograph, like the metaphor, deals in exceedingly condensed juxtapositions.
1989 M. Mitsugi in H. Matsuo Understanding Japanese Business 22/1 Another area of application is handwritten character recognition. In this case, characters contain numerals, alphabets, and also idiographs, such as Japanese kanji characters.
2002 New Yorker 25 Nov. 56/1 Benito has pizzazz—his shar-pei face is framed by diamond earrings, and columns of tattooed Japanese ideographs crawl down his right arm.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1835