Hieratic

Origin

Latin hieraticus, from Ancient Greek ἱερατικός, from ἱερατεία (hierateia, "priesthood"), from ἱερᾶτεύω ("be a priest"), from ἱερεύς (hiereus, "priest"), from ἱερός (hieros, "sacred").

• Use pertaining to the Egyptian writing system originates with the Greek phrase γράμματα ἱερατικά (grammata hieratika; literally "priestly writing"), which was first used by 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.

Full definition of hieratic

Adjective

1. of or pertaining to priests, especially pharaonic priests of ancient Egypt; sacerdotal.
2. of or pertaining to the cursive writing system developed by ancient Egyptian priests alongside the hieroglyphic system.
3. (said of a work of art, literature, etc.) extremely stylized, restrained or formal; adhering to fixed types or methods; severe in emotional import.Some of the more hieratic sculptures leave the viewer curiously unmoved.

Noun

1. 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.