adj
hieratic
Hieratic (adj) means relating to priests or religious leaders, especially those of Ancient Egypt.
adj
1
Relating to priests or religious leaders, especially those of Ancient Egypt.
2
Relating to a flowing, cursive style of handwriting used in Ancient Egypt for everyday writing alongside hieroglyphics.
"The papyrus was written in hieratic, a cursive form of hieroglyphics."
— Claire Cock-Starkey, Hyphens & Hashtags (2021)
3
Very formal and rigidly stylised, following set patterns and showing little emotion.
"They came in among earth-moving machines, a total absence of trees, the usual hieratic geometry, and eventually, shimmying for the sand roads, down in a helix to a sculptured body of water named Lake Inverarity."
— Thomas Pynchon (1966)
"Some of the more hieratic sculptures leave the viewer curiously unmoved."
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Etymology
From Latin hieraticus, from Ancient Greek ἱερατικός (hieratikós), from ἱερατεία (hierateía, “priesthood”), from ἱερατεύω (hierateúō, “be a priest”), from ἱερεύς (hiereús, “priest”), from ἱερός (hierós, “sacred”). Use pertaining to the Egyptian writing system originates with the Greek phrase γράμματα ἱερατικά (grámmata hieratiká, literally “priestly writing”), which was first used by Saint Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd century AD, as at that time hieratic was used only for religious texts, as had been the case for the previous thousand years.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for hieratic
See all rhymes for hieratic →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of hieratic?
"hieratic" (adj) means relating to priests or religious leaders, especially those of Ancient Egypt.
What is another word for hieratic?
Other words for "hieratic" include priestly, hieratical, sacerdotal.
What are the different meanings of hieratic?
"hieratic" has 3 main meanings: 1. Relating to priests or religious leaders, especially those of Ancient Egypt; 2. Relating to a flowing, cursive style of handwriting used in Ancient Egypt for everyday writing alongside hieroglyphics; 3. Very formal and rigidly stylised, following set patterns and showing little emotion.
