| ideograph |
| Definition:
A character that symbolizes the idea of a thing, but which gives no indication of how it should be pronounced. Note: These are also called ideograms. |
| Example: @, #, $, %, &, 2, 9, and 0 |
| Etymology: The word derives from the Greek idea, form + graphe, writing. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: The term's first citation is from 1835–40: "Hieroglyphic characters are either ideographs, that is, representations of ideas, or phonographs, that is, representations of sounds." (Hincks On Hieroglyphics (MS. B.M., Egypt. Antiq., 19 e),) |