pictograph

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pic·to·graph / ˈpiktəˌgraf/ (also pic·to·gram / -ˌgram/ ) • n. a pictorial symbol for a word or phrase. Pictographs were used as the earliest known form of writing, examples having been discovered in Egypt and Mesopotamia from before 3000 bc. ∎  a pictorial representation of statistics on a chart, graph, or computer screen.DERIVATIVES: pic·to·graph·ic / ˌpiktəˈgrafik/ adj.pic·tog·ra·phy / pikˈtägrəfē/ n.