Meaning

noun writing that resembles hieroglyphics (usually by being illegible)

noun a writing system using picture symbols; used in ancient Egypt

adjective resembling hieroglyphic writing

originFirst coined 1726, from French hiéroglyphique, from Latin hieroglyphicus, from Ancient Greek ἱερογλυφικός (hierogluphikós), from ἱερογλυφέω (hierogluphéō, “to represent hieroglyphically”), from ἱερός (hierós, “sacred, holy”) + γλύφω (glúphō, “to carve, to engrave, to cut out”). By surface analysis, hiero- + glyphic.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0