hieroglyphic

Etymology

Coined in 1726 from French hiéroglyphique, from Latin hieroglyphicus, from Ancient Greek ἱερογλυφικός (hierogluphikós), from ἱερογλυφέω (hierogluphéō, "to represent hieroglyphically"), from ἱερός (hierós, "sacred, holy") and γλύφω (glúphō, "to carve, to engrave, to cut out"). By surface analysis, it splits into hiero- + glyphic.