Calligraphy
/kəˈlɪɡ.rə.fi/noun
The art of beautiful or elegant handwriting.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek roots that also gave us terms for writing and letters, so the “beauty” in calligraphy was originally tied to the discipline of shaping language itself.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
kalligraphía
“beautiful writing”
Late Greek
Greek
kállos + -graphia
“beauty + writing”
16th Century
French
calligraphie
“fine handwriting or the art of elegant penmanship”
16th Century
English
calligraphy
“the art of beautiful handwriting”
Modern English
English
calligraphy
“the artistic practice of decorative handwriting”