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definitions

monogram

[mon-uh-gram]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR monogram ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a design consisting of two or more alphabetic letters combined or interlaced, commonly one's initials, often printed on stationery, embroidered on clothing, etc.
a single emblematic or decorative letter; applied initial.

verb (used with object), mon·o·grammed, mon·o·gram·ming.

to decorate with a monogram.

RELATED WORDS

identification, design, cipher, character, initials

Origin of monogram

1600–10; < Late Latin monogramma, irregular < Late Greek monógrammon. See mono-, -gram1
Related formsmon·o·gram·mat·ic [mon-uh-gruh-mat-ik] /ˌmɒn ə grəˈmæt ɪk/, mon·o·gram·mat·i·cal, mon·o·gram·mic, adjectiveun·mon·o·grammed, adjective
Can be confusedmonogram monograph
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for monogram

Contemporary Examples of monogram

  • One of the earliest works in the show depicts the monogram MT, for Marie-Thérèse.

    The Daily Beast logo
    Picasso's Greatest Muse

    Paul Laster

    April 15, 2011

Historical Examples of monogram

  • On the front was engraved a monogram J. M., and on the back a coat-of-arms.

    Murder Point

    Coningsby Dawson

  • Gideon Junior (father of Giddy) smoked cigarettes with his monogram on them.

    Gigolo

    Edna Ferber

  • I went to him and held it up and pointed to the monogram she had embroidered on it.

    The Plum Tree

    David Graham Phillips

  • The description of the book, casual as it was, made mention of the monogram on the cover.

    The Library

    Andrew Lang

  • Her glimpse of the monogram on the back of the watch had not lasted long enough.

    Special Messenger

    Robert W. Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for monogram

monogram

noun

a design of one or more letters, esp initials, embroidered on clothing, printed on stationery, etc

verb monograms, monogramming or monogrammed

(tr; usually passive) to decorate (clothing, stationery, etc) with a monogram
Derived Formsmonogrammatic (ˌmɒnəɡrəˈmætɪk), adjective

Word Origin for monogram

C17: from Late Latin monogramma, from Greek; see mono-, -gram
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 monogram
n.

"two or more letters intertwined," 1690s, from French monogramme or directly from Late Latin monogramma (5c.), from Late Greek monogrammon "a character formed of several letters in one design," especially in reference to the signature of the Byzantine emperors, noun use of neuter of monogrammos (adj.) "consisting of a single letter," literally "drawn with single lines," from Greek monos "single, alone" (see mono-) + gramma "letter, line" (see grammar). Earlier it meant "sketch or picture drawn in lines only, without shading or color," a sense also found in Latin and probably in Greek. Related: Monogrammatic.

v.

1868, from monogram (n.). Related: Monogrammed; monogramming.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper