Word.ws English Dictionary

rebus principle

rebus principle proper noun: the idea of using ideograms as phonograms representing the sounds of the words expressed by the original ideograms.

Proper noun

rebus principle

  1. The idea of using ideograms as phonograms representing the sounds of the words expressed by the original ideograms.
    • The principle of phonetic transfer is often called the rebus principle. Although the rebus principle of word-sign substitution in situations where there are like sounds was discovered by many diverse civilizations it was not fully exploited by most.1985, ed. Tosiyasu L. Kunii, Computer Graphics: Visual Technology and Art: Proceedings of Computer Graphics Tokyo ’85
    • The rebus principle appears in both the Egyptian hieroglyphic and in the Chinese writing systems.1995, Winfried Nöth, Handbook of Semiotics

Examples of rebus principle in a sentence

  • Once the rebus principle is accepted by a language in its written form, it is a natural step for such symbols to come to represent the sounds of syllables.2002, Anita K. Barry, Linguistic Perspectives on Language and Education:
  • With the rebus principle, sound could be made visible in a systematic way, and abstract concepts symbolized.2008, Amy Bryzgel, New Avant-gardes in Eastern Europe and Russia, 1987–1999:
  • The rebus principle supplemented the logographic principle and allowed full writing systems to develop.2015, Bruce M. Rowe, Diane P. Levine, A Concise Introduction to Linguistics, 4th edition:

Origin of rebus principle

From rebus + principle.

Questions about rebus principle

What does rebus principle mean?
Rebus principle means the idea of using ideograms as phonograms representing the sounds of the words expressed by the original ideograms.
How do you use rebus principle in a sentence?
Once the rebus principle is accepted by a language in its written form, it is a natural step for such symbols to come to represent the sounds of syllables.
What part of speech is rebus principle?
Rebus principle is a proper noun.

Words near rebus principle in the dictionary

  1. rebursting
  2. rebursts
  3. rebury
  4. reburying
  5. rebus
  6. rebus principle
  7. rebus sic stantibus
  8. rebused
  9. rebuses
  10. rebush
  11. rebushed

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: rebus principle (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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