rebus

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 23, 2009 is: rebus • \REE-bus\  • noun : a representation of syllables or words by means of pictures or symbols; also : a riddle made up of such pictures or symbols Examples: The answer to yesterday’s rebus, which showed a man on an Ark, a spider web, and a spoon stirring coffee, was "Noah Webster." Did you know? A rebus communicates its message by means of pictures or symbols whose names sound like various parts of a word, phrase, or sentence. For example, a picture of a can of tomatoes, followed by the letters UC and a picture of a well means "Can you see well?" In Latin, the word "rebus" means "by things"; "rebus" is a form of the Latin word "res," which means "thing." English speakers started using the word "rebus" for picture writing in the early 1600s. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.