WRITING SYSTEM

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does writing system mean? 

• WRITING SYSTEM (noun)
  The noun WRITING SYSTEM has 1 sense:

1. a method of representing the sounds of a language by written or printed symbols

  Familiarity information: WRITING SYSTEM used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WRITING SYSTEM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A method of representing the sounds of a language by written or printed symbols

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

orthography; writing system

Hypernyms ("writing system" is a kind of...):

writing (letters or symbols that are written or imprinted on a surface to represent the sounds or words of a language)

Meronyms (parts of "writing system"):

hyphenation; word division (division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page)

punctuation; punctuation mark (the marks used to clarify meaning by indicating separation of words into sentences and clauses and phrases)

Meronyms (members of "writing system"):

punctuation (the use of certain marks to clarify meaning of written material by grouping words grammatically into sentences and clauses and phrases)

hyphenation (connecting syllables and words by hyphens)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "writing system"):

script (a particular orthography or writing system)

spelling (forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage)

picture writing (a writing system using pictographs)

alphabetic script; alphabetic writing (a writing system based on alphabetic characters)

boustrophedon (an ancient writing system: having alternate lines written in opposite directions; literally 'as the ox ploughs')

ideography (the use of ideograms in writing)

hieroglyph; hieroglyphic (a writing system using picture symbols; used in ancient Egypt)

point system (a system of writing or printing using patterns of raised dots that can be read by touch)

Instance hyponyms:

Linear A (an undeciphered writing system used in Crete in the 17th century B.C.)