Holograph
/ˈhɒl.ə.ɡræf/noun
A document written entirely by the person who signed it, especially a will.
Did you know?Its root is the same Greek *graph-* behind words like *telegraph* and *autograph*, and the *holo-* part means “whole,” not “hologram.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Gk
holos
“whole, entire”
Ancient Greek
Gk
graphein
“to write, scratch, inscribe”
Late Latin
Lat
holographus
“written in full; entirely handwritten”
14th–15th Century
English
holograph
“a document wholly written by the same hand”
Modern English
English
holograph
“a document written entirely by the person who signs it, especially a will”