-graphy

The combining form -graphy is used like a suffix meaning “a process or form of drawing, writing, representing, recording, describing, etc.” or “an art or science concerned with such a process.” It is often used in scientific and technical terms.

The form -graphy comes from Greek -graphia, used to denote abstract nouns of action or function related to -graphos, meaning “drawn or written.” To learn more, read our entry on graph.

What are variants of -graphy?

While -graphy doesn’t have any variants, it is related to the forms -graph, as in radiograph, and -graphic, as in histographic. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on -graphy and -graphic.

An example of a word you may have encountered that features -graphy is topography, “the detailed mapping or charting of the features of a relatively small area, district, or locality.” Topography comes from Greek topographía, which features the equivalent of -graphy in that language.

The topo- part of the word means “place,” from Greek tópos. As we already know, the form -graphy means “a form of representing or recording.” Topography literally translates to “a form of representing or recording a place.”

What are some words that use the combining form -graphy?

• anthropography
• crystallography
• geography (using the equivalent form of -graphy in Greek)
• photography
• radiography
• typography (using the equivalent form of -graphy in Latin)

What are some other forms that -graphy may be commonly confused with?

• -grade
• -gram
• -phagy

The combining form anthropo- means “human.” With this in mind, what does anthropography literally mean?