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• graph
  graph

  noun

  a diagram representing a system of connections or interrelations among two or more things by a number of distinctive dots, lines, bars, etc.
• graph-
  graph-

  variant of grapho- before a vowel.
• -graph
  -graph

  a combining form meaning “drawn,” “written” (lithograph; monograph ); specialized in meaning to indicate the instrument rather than the written product of the instrument (telegraph; phonograph ).

graph

¹ American  

[graf] / græf /

noun

1. a diagram representing a system of connections or interrelations among two or more things by a number of distinctive dots, lines, bars, etc.

2. Mathematics.

   1. a series of points, discrete or continuous, forming a curve or surface, each of which represents a value of a given function.

   2. Also called linear graph.  a network of lines connecting points.

3. a written symbol for an idea, a sound, or a linguistic expression.

4. Computers. a non-hierarchical data structure whose nodes store data elements and whose branches represent connections to other nodes in the structure.

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verb (used with object)

1. Mathematics. to draw (a curve) as representing a given function.

2. to represent by means of a graph.

graph- ² American  

1. variant of grapho- before a vowel.

   grapheme.

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-graph ³ American  

1. a combining form meaning “drawn,” “written” (lithograph; monograph ); specialized in meaning to indicate the instrument rather than the written product of the instrument (telegraph; phonograph ).

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graph ¹ British  

/ ɡrɑːf, ɡræf /

noun

1. Also called: chart.  a drawing depicting the relation between certain sets of numbers or quantities by means of a series of dots, lines, etc, plotted with reference to a set of axes See also bar graph

2. maths a drawing depicting a functional relation between two or three variables by means of a curve or surface containing only those points whose coordinates satisfy the relation

3. maths a structure represented by a diagram consisting of points (vertices) joined by lines (edges)

4. linguistics a symbol in a writing system not further subdivisible into other such symbols

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verb

1. (tr) to draw or represent in a graph

-graph ² British  

combining form

1. an instrument that writes or records

   telegraph

2. a writing, record, or drawing

   autograph

   lithograph

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graph Scientific  

/ grăf /

1. A diagram showing the relationship of quantities, especially such a diagram in which lines, bars, or proportional areas represent how one quantity depends on or changes with another.

2. A curve or line showing a mathematical function or equation, typically drawn in a Cartesian coordinate system. The graph of the function y = x ² is a parabola.

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Usage

What does -graph mean? The combining form -graph is used like a suffix meaning “drawn” or "written," often to denote a recording of something. It is also used in a technical sense to mean an instrument that produces a written product. It is often used in scientific and technical terms. The form -graph comes from Greek -graphos, meaning “drawn or written, one who draws or writes.”What are variants of -graph?While -graph doesn't have any variants, it is related to the forms -graphy, as in telegraphy, and -graphic, as in pictographic. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on -graphy and -graphic.

Related Words

See map.

Other Word Forms

• -graphic
  combining form
• -graphically
  combining form
• regraph
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of graph¹

First recorded in 1875–80; short for graphic formula; see graphic

Origin of -graph³

< Greek -graphos (something) drawn or written, one who draws or writes. See grapho-

Explanation

A graph is a visual plotting of the relationship between two or more quantities, like a math map. To graph is to create such a chart. The noun graph came into use in the 1800s, when people got tired of saying graphic formula and decided to chop it down. A hundred years later, the verb form of graph was first recorded. Diagram and linear representation are two synonyms for the word. The dancer Martha Graham said, “Every dance is a kind of fever chart, a graph of the heart.” Here, she uses graph to say that dance is a visual representation of what’s in the heart.

Example Sentences

“When it comes to our elected representatives, at least my generation, it’s more about what you stand for,” Krause said at the DSA’s election night party, held at Audio Graph Beer Co. in downtown.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2024

Google took that image down from its Knowledge Graph and Knowledge Panels, but not before it momentarily gave people a new twist on history.

From Seattle Times • May 13, 2024

Graph redesign in this study was subtle, in order to be able to confidently parse out which change resulted in what improvement.

From Science Daily • Sep. 20, 2023

In 2010, Facebook began a program called Open Graph, which gave developers access to the social network’s data.

From New York Times • Jun. 1, 2023

Graph A in the appendix shows clearly that the age of marriage in both sexes has, with slight fluctuations, steadily increased from 1900 to 1921.

From Venereal Diseases in New Zealand (1922) Report of the Special Committee of the Board of Health appointed by the Hon. Minister of Health by New Zealand. Committee of the Board of Health

Related Words

• chart