About The Word Hieratic

Bay Area Crosswords

Learn about the word Hieratic to help solve your crossword puzzle. Discover Hieratic definitions and meaning, origins, synonyms, related terms and more at the free Crossword Dictionary.

Hieratic

Hieratic Meaning & Definition
Hieratic Definition And Meaning

What's The Definition Of Hieratic?

[n] a cursive form of Egyptian hieroglyphics; used especially by the priests
[adj] (fine arts) adhering to fixed types or methods; highly restrained and formal; "the more hieratic sculptures leave the viewer curiously unmoved"
[adj] written or belonging to a cursive form of ancient Egyptian writing; "hieratic Egyptian script"
[adj] associated with the priesthood or priests; "priestly (or sacerdotal) vestments"; "hieratic gestures"

Synonyms | Synonyms for Hieratic: hieratic script | hieratical | nonrepresentational | priestly | sacerdotal

Related Terms | Find terms related to Hieratic:

See Also | hieroglyph | hieroglyphic

Hieratic In Webster's Dictionary

\Hi`er*at"ic\, a. [L. hieraticus, Gr. ?; akin to "iero`s sacred: cf. F. hi['e]ratique.] Consecrated to sacred uses; sacerdotal; pertaining to priests. {Hieratic character}, a mode of ancient Egyptian writing; a modified form of hieroglyphics, tending toward a cursive hand and formerly supposed to be the sacerdotal character, as the demotic was supposed to be that of the people. It was a false notion of the Greeks that of the three kinds of writing used by the Egyptians, two -- for that reason called hieroglyphic and hieratic -- were employed only for sacred, while the third, the demotic, was employed for secular, purposes. No such distinction is discoverable on the more ancient Egyptian monuments; bur we retain the old names founded on misapprehension. --W. H. Ward (Johnson's Cyc.).

More Crossword Puzzle Words

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Cross Word Of The Day

  • Chaparral broom ‐ widely spreading evergreen shrub of southwestern United States…
  • Chylifactory ‐ producing or converting…
  • J particle ‐ a neutral meson with a…
  • Peninsular ‐ of or forming or resembling a peninsula; "peninsular…
  • Volgaic ‐ a group of Finnic languages spoken around the…
  • Frederic auguste bartholdi ‐ French sculptor best known for creating the Statue of Liberty…
  • Four-lined plant bug ‐ yellow or orange leaf bug with four black stripes down the back;…
  • Irreverence ‐ a disrespectful act [n] an irreverent…
  • Edmund kean ‐ English actor noted for his portrayals of Shakespeare's great…
  • Center ‐ a position on a basketball team of the player who participates…