calligraphy

[kuh-lig-ruh-fee]

noun

fancy penmanship, especially highly decorative handwriting, as with a great many flourishes: She appreciated the calligraphy of the 18th century.
handwriting; penmanship.
the art of writing beautifully: He studied calligraphy when he was a young man.

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

Origin of calligraphy

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

Related formscal·lig·ra·pher, cal·lig·ra·phist, nouncal·li·graph·ic

[kal-i-graf-ik] /ˌkæl ɪˈgræf ɪk/, cal·li·graph·i·cal, adjectivecal·li·graph·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for calligraphic

Historical Examples of calligraphic

His writing was a marvel of calligraphic art; he himself, a curiosity.
Tracks of a Rolling Stone
Henry J. Coke
He tells us how he collected his vellum treasures—his "crackling tomes" so rich in illuminations and calligraphic art!
Bibliomania in the Middle Ages
Frederick Somner Merryweather
The volume, as a specimen of calligraphic art, reflects honor upon the age, and is right worthy of Lady Hilda's monastery.
Bibliomania in the Middle Ages
Frederick Somner Merryweather
The calligraphic school of Winchester achieves magnificent results.
The Wanderings and Homes of Manuscripts
M. R. James
Reputed for high literary, calligraphic, and artistic skill, he also possessed a profound knowledge of politics.
Japan
Various

British Dictionary definitions for calligraphic

calligraphy

noun

handwriting, esp beautiful handwriting considered as an artAlso called: chirography

Derived Formscalligrapher or calligraphist, nouncalligraphic (ˌkælɪˈɡræfɪk), adjectivecalligraphically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for calligraphic

calligraphy

1610s, from Greek kaligraphia, from kallos "beauty" + graphein "to write" (see -graphy). Related: Calligraphic. The usual comb. form in Greek was kalli- "beautiful, fine, happy, favorable;" kalo- was a later, rarer alternative form.