| ideograph |
| Definition -
A character that symbolizes the idea of a thing, but which gives no indication of how it should be pronounced.
Notes: 1. They are also called ideograms. |
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Example - @, #, $, %, &, 2, 9, and 0 |
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Etymology - The word derives from the Greek idea, form + graphe, writing. |
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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),) |
