Hiera-picra, hī′e-ra-pik′ra, n. a purgative drug from aloes and canella bark.—Also Hickery-pickery, Higry-pigry. [Gr. hiera, fem. of hieros, sacred, pikra, fem. of pikros, bitter.]
Hierarch, hī′ėr-ärk, n. a ruler in sacred matters.—adjs. Hi′erarchal, Hierarch′ical.—adv. Hierarch′ically.—ns. Hī′erarchism; Hī′erarchy, rule in sacred matters: persons that so rule: the body of the clergy: a government by priests: a series of successive terms of different rank; Hieroc′racy, government by priests.—Celestial hierarchy, the collective body of angels, grouped in three divisions and nine orders of different power and glory: (1) seraphim, cherubim, thrones; (2) dominations or dominions, virtues, powers; (3) principalities, archangels, angels. [Gr. hierarchēs—hieros, sacred, archein, to rule.]
Hieratic, hī-ėr-at′ik, adj. sacred: relating to priests, applying to a certain kind of ancient Egyptian writing, which consisted of abridged forms of hieroglyphics; also to certain styles in art. [L. hieraticus—Gr. hieratikos—hieros, sacred.]
Hieroglyphic, hī-ėr-o-glif′ik, also Hī′eroglyph, n. the sacred characters of the ancient Egyptian language: picture-writing, or writing in which figures of objects are employed instead of conventional signs, like the alphabet—hieroglyphics are either phonetic or ideographic, the former comprising signs which represent sounds, the latter those which represent ideas: any symbolical or enigmatical figure.—v.t. Hī′eroglyph, to represent by hieroglyphs.—adjs. Hieroglyph′ic, -al.—adv. Hieroglyph′ically.—n. Hierog′lyphist, one skilled in hieroglyphics. [Gr. hieroglyphikon—hieros, sacred, glyphein, to carve.]
Hierogram, hī′er-o-gram, n. a hieroglyphic symbol.—adjs. Hierogrammat′ic, -al.—ns. Hierogram′matist, Hierogram′mate, a writer of sacred records; Hī′erograph, a sacred symbol; Hierog′rapher, a sacred scribe.—adjs. Hierograph′ic, -al, pertaining to sacred writing.—n. Hierog′raphy, a description of sacred things. [Gr. hieros, sacred, gramma, a writing.]
Hierolatry, hī-er-ol′a-tri, n. the worship of saints or sacred things.
Hierology, hī-ėr-ol′o-ji, n. the science of sacred matters, esp. ancient writing and Egyptian inscriptions.—adj. Hierolog′ic.—n. Hierol′ogist. [Gr. hierologia—hieros, sacred, legein, to speak.]
Hieromancy, hī-er-o-man′si, n. divination by observing the objects offered in sacrifice.
Hieronymic, hī-e-rō-nim′ik, adj. of or pertaining to St Jerome—also Hieronym′ian.—n. Hieron′ymite, one of the many hermit orders established in the course of the 13th and 14th centuries. [L. Hieronymus, Jerome.]