iconography

[ ahy-kuh-nog-ruh-fee ]

noun

, plural i·co·nog·ra·phies.

1. symbolic representation, especially the conventional meanings attached to an image or images.
2. subject matter in the visual arts, especially with reference to the conventions regarding the treatment of a subject in artistic representation.
3. the study or analysis of subject matter and its meaning in the visual arts; iconology.
4. a representation or a group of representations of a person, place, or thing, as a portrait or a collection of portraits.

iconography

/ aɪˌkɒnəˈɡræfɪk; ˌaɪkɒˈnɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. 1. the symbols used in a work of art or art movement
   2. the conventional significance attached to such symbols
2. a collection of pictures of a particular subject, such as Christ
3. the representation of the subjects of icons or portraits, esp on coins

Derived Forms

• iconographic, adjective
• ˌicoˈnographer, noun

Other Words From

• i·con·o·graph [ahy-, kon, -, uh, -graf, -grahf], noun
• ico·nogra·pher noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of iconography¹

1620–30; < Medieval Latin īconographia < Greek eikonographía. See icono-, -graphy

Example Sentences

He attended elementary school at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral on Mott Street, where he was surrounded by the iconography of the Catholic Church.

From Los Angeles Times

I just remember there was a lot of Coca-Cola iconography all throughout Los Angeles, and we were lucky enough to get to go to a bunch of the different competitions and events.

From Los Angeles Times

No, stripped of its considerable iconography, “Heretic” is the story of a serial killer who, as so many serial killers do, preys exclusively on women.

From Los Angeles Times

The dreamlike mishmash of religious iconography and in-your-face motherhood imagery that Belinda witnesses in ghostly visions reads as derivative and unoriginal.

From Los Angeles Times

That is a huge part of the book’s iconography.

From Los Angeles Times