calligraphy

American  

[kuh-lig-ruh-fee] / kəˈlɪg rə fi /

noun

1. fancy penmanship, especially highly decorative handwriting, as with a great many flourishes.

   She appreciated the calligraphy of the 18th century.

2. handwriting; penmanship.

3. the art of writing beautifully.

   He studied calligraphy when he was a young man.

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

5. 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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calligraphy British  

/ kəˈlɪɡrəfɪ, ˌkælɪˈɡræfɪk /

noun

1. Also called: chirography.  handwriting, esp beautiful handwriting considered as an art

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Other Word Forms

• calligrapher noun
• calligraphic adjective
• calligraphical adjective
• calligraphically adverb
• calligraphist noun

Etymology

Origin of calligraphy

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

Example Sentences

“Can you believe it? Ella St. Clay’s real handwriting. It’s nothing like my handwriting, which is messy. But I’m working on my calligraphy. Anyway, one thing is for sure. It’s a special book.”

From Literature

Classes included economics and English, as well as meditation, calligraphy and kendo, a martial art.

From The Wall Street Journal

Each door had names tacked on the front in careful calligraphy done by the RA.

From Literature

To illustrate, she holds up a box of charred scraps covered in Arabic calligraphy.

From BBC

Enthusiasts of the Dutch and Flemish Golden Age will be delighted to learn of the more quotidian arts that rounded out this visually rich epoch: hand-wrought lace, calligraphy, botanical illustrations and more.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• longhand
• manuscript
• scrawl
• script
• writing