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

Words nearby calligraphy

call girl, call house, calli-, Callicrates, calligraph, calligraphy, Callimachus, call in, calling, calling card, call-in pay

How to use calligraphy in a sentence

It portrays a gnarled tree overlaid with multicolored squiggles that might recall balloons, or some sort of calligraphy.
In the galleries: A heightened homage to trees and what they can teach us|Mark Jenkins|May 7, 2021|Washington Post
It’s universally available, it’s affordable, and it can be as simple as a note scrawled on a postcard or as complex as a work of calligraphy.
Letter-writing staved off lockdown loneliness. Now it’s getting out the vote.|Tanya Basu|September 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The paper is suitable for calligraphy pens, brush and ball pens, acrylic colors, watercolor, and more.
Notable notebooks for writing and drawing|PopSci Commerce Team|September 17, 2020|Popular-Science
So he dropped out, exploring only the few classes that interested him; he took calligraphy.
What Steve Jobs Taught Me|Spencer Porter|October 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Sora has been publicly practicing her Chinese calligraphy and studying Mandarin.
Porn Star Sora Aoi Is Taking China by Storm|Isaac Stone Fish|May 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Hilda took the letter with apprehension, as she recognized the down-slanting calligraphy of Sarah Gailey.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
The two notes looked harmless enough, and the calligraphy of one was vaguely familiar.
Tales Of Men And Ghosts|Edith Wharton
It was a good hand now, though the scamp would never be a professor of calligraphy.
Pippin; A Wandering Flame|Laura E. Richards
Hence the introduction of calligraphy must be placed in 405.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 3|Various
In his later years Backhuysen employed his time in etching and calligraphy.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1|Various

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

calligraphy

Origin of calligraphy

OTHER WORDS FROM calligraphy

Words nearby calligraphy

Words related to calligraphy

How to use calligraphy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for calligraphy

Derived forms of calligraphy