Definition
Plain language
The little picture a computer draws on screen for a given character.
As stated in the literature
The visual representation a font assigns to a character code; a code point with no assigned glyph in a font renders as nothing or a placeholder box, even though it is valid text.
Also called: glyphs, missing-glyph
Why it matters: It explains why some text can be present and valid yet show up as nothing or a blank box on your screen.
For example, when a font has no drawing for a certain character, you might see an empty box where a letter should be.
Heard on the show
“— and pulls out a name and some distinctive glyphs.”Episode 103 — AI Agents Tried to Invent a Post-Human Language, And Reinvented Cherokee