calligraphy

[ kuh-lig-ruh-fee ]

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.

calligraphy

/ kəˈlɪɡrəfɪ; ˌkælɪˈɡræfɪk /

noun

1. handwriting, esp beautiful handwriting considered as an art Also calledchirography

Derived Forms

• calligraphic, adjective
• calˈligrapher, noun
• ˌcalliˈgraphically, adverb

Other Words From

• cal·ligra·pher cal·ligra·phist noun
• cal·li·graph·ic [kal-i-, graf, -ik], calli·graphi·cal adjective
• calli·graphi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of calligraphy¹

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

Example Sentences

It portrays a gnarled tree overlaid with multicolored squiggles that might recall balloons, or some sort of calligraphy.

From 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.

From MIT Technology Review

The paper is suitable for calligraphy pens, brush and ball pens, acrylic colors, watercolor, and more.

From Popular-Science

So he dropped out, exploring only the few classes that interested him; he took calligraphy.

From The Daily Beast

Sora has been publicly practicing her Chinese calligraphy and studying Mandarin.

From The Daily Beast

Hilda took the letter with apprehension, as she recognized the down-slanting calligraphy of Sarah Gailey.

From Project Gutenberg

The two notes looked harmless enough, and the calligraphy of one was vaguely familiar.

From Project Gutenberg

It was a good hand now, though the scamp would never be a professor of calligraphy.

From Project Gutenberg

Hence the introduction of calligraphy must be placed in 405.

From Project Gutenberg

In his later years Backhuysen employed his time in etching and calligraphy.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• longhand
• manuscript
• scrawl
• script
• writing