ideogram
UK[ˈɪd.i.ə.ɡræm]US[ˈɪd.i.ə.ɡræm]
n
A written character that symbolizes the idea of a thing without indicating the sounds used to say it (e.g., the numerals 6 or 7, or a Chinese character).
Morpheme Breakdown
ideo
gram
ideo
idea
gram
something written
Etymology
The word 'ideogram' is a modern scholarly compound, formed in English from two Greek-derived elements to precisely describe a concept in writing systems. The first part, 'ideo-', originates from the Greek idea, meaning "form" or "notion," which itself derives from the verb idein, "to see," reflecting the ancient link between seeing a form and conceptualizing an idea. The second part, '-gram', comes from Greek gramma, meaning "a letter" or "something written." Therefore, an ideogram is, quite literally, a "written idea." This term was coined to distinguish symbolic writing, where a character represents a concept directly, from phonetic writing, where characters represent sounds.
Analysis
Structure: ideo (idea) + gram (something written)
- ideo: From Greek idea (form, pattern, notion). Functions as a combining form meaning "idea" or "mental image."
- gram: From Greek gramma (something written, a letter). Functions as a combining form meaning "something written or recorded."
Examples
In many ancient writing systems, an ideogram for the sun might simply be a circle with a dot in the center.
The ampersand (&) began as a Latin ligature but is now used as a logogram, a type of ideogram, representing the word "and."
Unlike alphabetic letters, a Chinese character is primarily an ideogram that conveys meaning more than sound.