From the Greek adjective ἱερός (hierós), meaning "sacred," and the Greek verb γλύφω (glýphō), meaning "to carve, engrave," a hieroglyph is technically "sacred writing/engraving," short for "the sacred engraved letters," which was what the Greeks called ancient Egyptian pictographic writing, likely because the Egyptians referred to them as "the gods' words." Writing in antiquity possessed a magical or sacred dimension because so few could do it. As a result, the practice of writing was largely confined to royal scribes and priests. So, hieroglyphics, or "sacred writings," became what we call ancient Egyptian pictographs.