glyph
Written visual mark
A glyph is a carved or inscribed symbol—a character or figure cut into stone, wood, or other material.
The term appears most often in discussions of ancient writing systems: Egyptian hieroglyphs, Mayan glyphs.
In typography and computing, a glyph is any distinct visual representation of a character: the letter A in different fonts produces different glyphs.
The archaeologists documented each glyph on the temple wall.
Written symbol or message
- symbolRepresentational mark or sign
- characterNature, symbol, or role
- numeralSymbol denoting quantity
- digitSingle numeric character
punctuation · emoji · logogram · ideograph · pictograph · kanji · hanzi · rune
Stylus-impressed ancient script
- pictogramSymbol using visual likeness
- ideogramSymbol representing concept directly
- runestoneInscribed Viking memorial stone
- steleInscribed memorial pillar
cartouche · Rosetta · Sumerian · Mayan · Egyptian · Aztec · Indus · Anasazi
Magical or heraldic symbol
- emblemRepresentational sign or device
- runeAncient Germanic letter
- mandalaCircular spiritual diagram
- totemSpiritual clan symbol
motif · pictogram · ideogram · logogram · seal · talisman · amulet · symbolic
Character style set
- typefaceLettering style design
- serifLetter terminal flourish
- sans-serifType without terminal strokes
- kerningLetter-pair spacing adjustment
tracking · leading · baseline · ascender · descender · x-height · letterpress · typesetting
Edged carving implement
- incisionControlled cut into tissue
- engravingCarving into hard surfaces
- etchingAcid-incised metal print
- reliefEasing of distress
bas-relief · intaglio · stone · granite · limestone · marble · mason · sculptor
letter
Written symbol or message
digit · punctuation · emoji · logogram · ideograph · pictograph · kanji · hanzi · rune · alphabet
cuneiform
Stylus-impressed ancient script
- pictogramSymbol using visual likeness
- ideogramSymbol representing concept directly
- runestoneInscribed Viking memorial stone
stele · cartouche · Rosetta · Sumerian · Mayan · Egyptian · Aztec · Indus · Anasazi · prehistoric
sigil
Magical or heraldic symbol
totem · motif · pictogram · ideogram · logogram · seal · talisman · amulet · symbolic · sacred
font
Character style set
- typefaceLettering style design
- serifLetter terminal flourish
- sans-serifType without terminal strokes
kerning · tracking · leading · baseline · ascender · descender · x-height · letterpress · typesetting · italic
chisel
Edged carving implement
- incisionControlled cut into tissue
- engravingCarving into hard surfaces
- etchingAcid-incised metal print
relief · bas-relief · intaglio · stone · granite · limestone · marble · mason · sculptor · stela
stem
Plant's central axis
terminal · ascender · descender · stroke · spine · shoulder · arm · leg · tail · ear
ampersand
Symbol for "and"
pilcrow · section · tilde · caret · hash · percent · interrobang · fleuron · lozenge · bullet
- Indigenous WritingCherokee syllabary, syllabary, codices, hieroglyphs, Sequoyah
- Arabic calligraphykufi, calligrapher, reed pen, bismillah, letterforms
- lettersa, d, e, h, q
- artifactspottery shards, knives, masks, pottery, antiquity
- graphic designlogo, font, typography, layout, color
- graphicsvector, shapes, 3D graphics, raster, symbols
glyphphoneme
Minimal distinctive sound unit
spoken word · utterance · sound · signified · vocalization
glyphblank
Without marks or content
void · erasure · empty space · absence · whitespace
- Mayan glyphsAncient script of Guatemala