chronogram

[kron-uh-gram]

noun

an inscription in which certain Roman numeral letters express a date or epoch on being added together by their values.

a record made by a chronograph.

Origin of chronogram

First recorded in 1615–25; chrono- + -gram¹

Related formschron·o·gram·mat·ic

[kron-oh-gruh-mat-ik] /ˌkrɒn oʊ grəˈmæt ɪk/, chron·o·gram·mat·i·cal, adjectivechron·o·gram·mat·i·cal·ly, adverbchron·o·gram·ma·tist, noun

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

Examples from the Web for chronogram

Historical Examples of chronogram

If not, I can only make Howell's chronogram equivalent to 1927.
Notes and Queries, Number 193, July 9, 1853
Various
The date may sometimes occur as a chronogram, which should not be overlooked.
How to Catalogue a Library
Henry B. (Henry Benjamin) Wheatley
It might be supposed to be a chronogram, but for the introduction of the letter "E."
Notes and Queries, Vol. IV, Number 111, December 13, 1851
Various
The first of these lines is a chronogram, that is, it contains a date.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 (of 2)
Anatole France
Webster defines a chronogram as an inscription, sentence, or phrase in which certain letters express a date or epoch.
Smithsonian Institution - United States National Museum - Bulletin 240
Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for chronogram

chronogram

noun

a phrase or inscription in which letters such as M, C, X, L and V can be read as Roman numerals giving a date

a record kept by a chronograph

Derived Formschronogrammatic (ˌkrɒnəʊɡrəˈmætɪk) or chronogrammatical, adjectivechronogrammatically, 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