'hieroglyphics' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'hieroglyphikos', where 'hieros' meant 'sacred' and 'glyphein' meant 'to carve'.

'hieroglyphikos' passed into Late Latin as 'hieroglyphicus', then into French as 'hiéroglyphique', and eventually became the English word 'hieroglyphic' (plural 'hieroglyphics').

Initially it meant 'sacred carvings' or 'sacred carved signs', and over time it came to refer specifically to the picture-writing system and its symbols used in ancient Egypt; the figurative sense ('unreadable writing') developed later.