Xylograph
/ˈzaɪ.lə.ɡræf/noun
A wood engraving or a printing plate carved from wood.
Did you know?Xylograph comes from Greek roots meaning “wood” and “write,” and it belongs to the same ancient word-family as cryptic terms like *hieroglyph* and *autograph*—all built on the idea of writing as a kind of sacred or marked action.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
xýlon
“wood; timber”
Ancient Greek
Greek
gráphein
“to write; to scratch; to inscribe”
19th Century
French
xylographe
“a wood engraving; a wood-printed image”
19th Century
English
xylograph
“a wood engraving or print from a carved wooden block”
Modern English
English
xylograph
“a wood engraving or a print made from a wood block”
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