Iconography
/ˌaɪ.kəˈnɒɡ.rə.fi/noun
The study or practice of visual images and symbols, especially their meaning in art or religion.
Did you know?Iconography ultimately comes from Greek eikōn, meaning “image” or “likeness,” a root tied to the power of representation in religion, portraiture, and sacred art.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
eikōnographia
“writing or description of images”
Ancient Greek
Greek
eikōn
“image, likeness, portrait”
Ancient Greek
Greek
graphein
“to write, draw, inscribe”
Late Latin
Latin
iconographia
“description or representation of images”
16th–17th Century
English
iconography
“the description or study of images, especially in art and religion”
Modern English
English
iconography
“the visual imagery and symbolic content of art or a subject”
Explore more surprising origins