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calligraphy

[ kuh-lig-ruh-fee ]
/ kəˈlɪg rə fi /
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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.
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Origin of calligraphy

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

OTHER WORDS FROM calligraphy

cal·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. 2023

Words related to calligraphy

longhand, manuscript, scrawl, script, writing, handwriting, print, chirography, hand, hieroglyphics, mark, scratching, scribble, style, characters, fist, letters, penmanship, autograph, cuneiform

How to use calligraphy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for calligraphy

calligraphy
/ (kəˈlɪɡrəfɪ) /
noun
handwriting, esp beautiful handwriting considered as an artAlso called: chirography

Derived forms of calligraphy

calligrapher 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
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