Pictogram

A pictographic traffic sign (top) warning motorists of horses and riders

A pictogram (also pictogramme, pictograph, or simply picto^[1]) is a graphical symbol that conveys meaning through its visual resemblance to a physical object. Pictograms are used in systems of writing and visual communication. A pictography is a writing system^[2] which uses pictograms. Some pictograms, such as hazard pictograms, may be elements of formal languages.

In the field of prehistoric art, the term "pictograph" has a different definition, and specifically refers to art painted on rock surfaces. Pictographs are contrasted with petroglyphs, which are carved or incised.

^ Gove, Philip Babcock. (1993). Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged. Merriam-Webster Inc. ISBN 0-87779-201-1.
^ Goody, Jack (1987). The interface between the written and the oral. Cambridge. p. 4. ISBN 0-521-33268-0. OCLC 14242868.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[1] Gove, Philip Babcock. (1993). Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged. Merriam-Webster Inc. ISBN 0-87779-201-1.

[2] Goody, Jack (1987). The interface between the written and the oral. Cambridge. p. 4. ISBN 0-521-33268-0. OCLC 14242868.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

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