Standard Lemma guide

hieratic

adj · noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˌhaɪ(ə)ˈɹætɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of or pertaining to priests or other religious authorities, especially pharaonic priests of Ancient Egypt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sacerdotal, priestly

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of or pertaining to the cursive writing system that developed alongside the hieroglyphic system as its ordinary handwritten counterpart.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Extremely stylized, restrained or formal; adhering to fixed types or methods; severe in emotional import.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: art, arts

Examples

  • Some of the more hieratic sculptures leave the viewer curiously unmoved.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A writing system used in pharaonic Egypt that was developed alongside the hieroglyphic system, primarily written in ink with a reed brush on papyrus, allowing scribes to write quickly without resorting to the time consuming hieroglyphs.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective

Meaning 5

written or belonging to a cursive form of ancient Egyptian writing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • hieratic Egyptian script

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective

Meaning 6

associated with the priesthood or priests

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • priestly (or sacerdotal) vestments
  • hieratic gestures

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: priestly, hieratical, sacerdotal

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

adhering to fixed types or methods; highly restrained and formal

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the more hieratic sculptures leave the viewer curiously unmoved

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

a cursive form of Egyptian hieroglyphics; used especially by the priests

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hieratic script

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hieroglyph, hieroglyphic

Narrower terms: Demotic, Demotic script

History

Etymology

From Latin hieraticus, from Ancient Greek ἱερατικός (hieratikós), from ἱερατεία (hierateía, “priesthood”), from ἱερατεύω (hierateúō, “be a priest”), from ἱερεύς (hiereús, “priest”), from ἱερός (hierós, “sacred”). Use pertaining to the Egyptian writing system originates with the Greek phrase γράμματα ἱερατικά (grámmata hieratiká, literally “priestly writing”), which was first used by Saint Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd century AD, as at that time hieratic was used only for religious texts, as had been the case for the previous thousand years.

Across languages

Translations

28 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: свещенически (svešteničeski) — of or pertaining to priests
  • Bulgarian: жречески (žrečeski) — of or pertaining to priests
  • Catalan: hieràtic — of or pertaining to priests
  • Finnish: hieraattinen — of or pertaining to priests
  • German: hieratisch — of or pertaining to priests
  • Greek: ιερατικός (ieratikós) — of or pertaining to priests
  • Italian: sacrale — of or pertaining to priests
  • Italian: ieratico — of or pertaining to priests
  • Italian: sacerdotale — of or pertaining to priests
  • Polish: kapłański — of or pertaining to priests
  • Portuguese: hierático — of or pertaining to priests
  • Russian: свяще́ннический (svjaščénničeskij) — of or pertaining to priests
  • Spanish: hierático — of or pertaining to priests
  • Swedish: hieratisk — of or pertaining to priests
  • Swedish: prästerlig — of or pertaining to priests
  • French: hiératique — of or pertaining to the cursive writing system developed by ancient Egyptian priests
  • German: hieratisch — of or pertaining to the cursive writing system developed by ancient Egyptian priests
  • Italian: ieratico — of or pertaining to the cursive writing system developed by ancient Egyptian priests
  • Polish: hieratyczny — of or pertaining to the cursive writing system developed by ancient Egyptian priests
  • Portuguese: hierático — of or pertaining to the cursive writing system developed by ancient Egyptian priests
  • Spanish: hierático — of or pertaining to the cursive writing system developed by ancient Egyptian priests
  • French: hiératique — extremely stylized, restrained or formal
  • Italian: austero — extremely stylized, restrained or formal
  • Italian: solenne — extremely stylized, restrained or formal
  • Italian: ieratico — extremely stylized, restrained or formal
  • Polish: hieratyczny — extremely stylized, restrained or formal
  • Portuguese: hierático — extremely stylized, restrained or formal
  • Spanish: hierático — extremely stylized, restrained or formal