Petrograph
/ˈpɛtrəˌɡræf/noun
A written or inscribed record on stone; also, a person who studies or describes rocks in writing.
Did you know?The same Greek root graph- that gives us petrograph also powers words like graphic and autograph, all tied to the ancient idea that writing is a kind of marking or carving.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
petros + graphein
“stone + to write, carve, or inscribe”
Late Greek / Hellenistic
Greek
petrographos
“written on stone; stone inscription”
19th Century
English
petrograph
“an inscription on stone; later, a rock description or study”
Modern English
English
petrograph
“a written record on stone or a stone inscription”