penmanship

[pen-muhn-ship]

noun

1. the art of handwriting; the use of the pen in writing.

2. a person's style or manner of handwriting.

   clear penmanship; poor penmanship.

penmanship

/ ˈpɛnmənʃɪp /

noun

1. Also called: calligraphy. style or technique of writing by hand

Word History and Origins

Origin of penmanship¹

First recorded in 1685–95; penman + -ship

Example Sentences

“My dad’s handwriting was terrible. He looked like he should have been a doctor. You can hardly read anything he wrote. My mother had perfect penmanship,” she continued.

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Before she could assign me penmanship drills, I went to find Klawde.

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The process might have felt impersonal to an adult, but as a child, receiving dozens of little envelopes that were addressed to me, in the individual penmanship of each of my classmates, felt heavenly.

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Lousy penmanship didn’t stop me from becoming someone whose profession depends on shaping letters.

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His collection became a private conceit, scrupulously named and dated in the penmanship of a monk, stored in boxes and metal bins like a man in a film hiding riches in the shadows.

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