calligraphy

American  

[kuh-lig-ruh-fee] / kəˈlɪg rə fi /

noun

1. fancy penmanship, especially highly decorative handwriting, as with a great many flourishes.

   She appreciated the calligraphy of the 18th century.

2. handwriting; penmanship.

3. the art of writing beautifully.

   He studied calligraphy when he was a young man.

4. a script, usually cursive, although sometimes angular, produced chiefly by brush, especially Chinese, Japanese, or Arabic writing of high aesthetic value.

5. Fine Arts. line or a group of lines either derived from or resembling letter forms and characterized by qualities usually associated with cursive writing, especially that produced with a brush or pen.

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calligraphy British  

/ kəˈlɪɡrəfɪ, ˌkælɪˈɡræfɪk /

noun

1. Also called: chirography.  handwriting, esp beautiful handwriting considered as an art

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Other Word Forms

• calligrapher
  noun
• calligraphic
  adjective
• calligraphical
  adjective
• calligraphically
  adverb
• calligraphist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of calligraphy

First recorded in 1605–15, calligraphy is from the Greek word kalligraphía beautiful writing. See calli-, -graphy

Explanation

Ever see a framed diploma in your doctor's office filled with fancy old fashioned curvy handwriting announcing they trained at such and such a university? Well, that style of writing is calligraphy, and it's mostly used for important public documents. The word calligraphy comes from two Greek words stuck together, kallos, meaning "beauty," and graphein, meaning "to write" — literally "beautiful writing." In the days before printing was invented, all books and documents were written by hand using calligraphy, the most famous examples being the bibles written by medieval monks.

Example Sentences

The Limited and Calligraphy versions of the Palisade—which start at $49,770 and $54,560, respectively—are the only ones with power-folding third-row seats.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Calligraphy dates back to before the 1st century A.D., said Dr. Chia-Ling Yang, a Chinese art history professor at the University of Edinburgh.

From New York Times • May 29, 2024

“And I got more and more involved, and now it’s one of my favorite things,” said Podesta, who plans to attend this year’s International Calligraphy Conference in California.

From Washington Times • Apr. 20, 2015

"Calligraphy is an art; typing isn't," she says.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 15, 2011

"Calligraphy is a skill I have always wanted to acquire."

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

Related Words

• longhand
• manuscript
• scrawl
• script
• writing