Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The art of fine handwriting.
- n. Works in fine handwriting considered as a group.
- n. Handwriting.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The art of beautiful writing; fair or elegant writing or penmanship; by extension, handwriting in general; penmanship. Also spelled caligraphy, kalligraphy.
Wiktionary
- n. The art of writing letters and words with decorative strokes.
- n. The letters and words so produced, collectively.
- n. The art of writing fancy lettering.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Fair or elegant penmanship.
WordNet 3.0
- n. beautiful handwriting
Etymologies
- From Ancient Greek καλλιγραφία (kalligrafía, "pretty writing"), from κάλλος (kallos, "beauty") + γράφω (gráphō, "to draw"). (Wiktionary)
- French calligraphie, from Greek kalligraphiā, beautiful writing : kalli-, beautiful (from kallos, beauty) + -graphiā, -graphy. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“What is the meaning of the word calligraphy and from what language does it derive?”
“He withdrew a piece of paper, unfolded it, and read, “What is the meaning of the word calligraphy and from what language does it derive?””
“NA: Some of your clutches are designed with personal messages in Arabic calligraphy such as "Wisdom and Strength" and "Happiness Is a Journey.”
“From her new collection, Le Monaco in Taupe inscribed with "Smile and the World Will Smile Back at you" in Arabic calligraphy”
“The technique and artistic style of his painting and calligraphy is largely self-taught, as brushwork is not a part of formal monastic training, but part of his cumulative experience.”
“So we see my Chinese name, Wu Qi Mei, actually in calligraphy written out by my dad several years ago.”
“My mother was trained in Japanese calligraphy and other traditional Japanese arts.”
“Thank you for the comment about the Koran collection in the MFA - I have always had an interest in Arabic calligraphy and had no idea we had such a collection in Boston.”
“However, PJs skilled in calligraphy may want to hand print the information on the CD label, internal envelope and possibly on the package envelope.”
“He was pretty sure the Libyan caravan centre should be spelt "Sabha ', not" Sebha ', and he was even more certain that' qalam ', meaning a reed pen used in Arabic calligraphy, should start with a K.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘calligraphy’.
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Writing
graphoanalysis, agraphia, agraphic, anorthography, logagraphia, cipher, code, inscribe, penmanship, cursive, Palmer method, calligraphy and 100 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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graphs
lithograph, homograph, topography, psychogeography, typography, pictograph, polygraph, cinematography, stenographer, cartography, choreographer, oceanographer and 24 more...
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calli-, cal-
good, beautiful
callipygean, calisthenics, calligraphy, callimastian, callisteia, calliandra, Callicrates, callidity, Callimachus, calliope, callitriche, callisaurus and 10 more...
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Penmanship
Spencerian method, Palmer method, Platt R. Spencer, cursive, round hand, running hand, handwriting, stylus, pen, vellum, penmanship, script and 86 more...
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Reckon's Word List
Turned On
tintinnabulation, talisman, soliloquy, serendipity, quintessential, rhapsody, plethora, myrrh, palimpsest, panoply, mellifluous, loquacious and 102 more...
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colleen's words
yellow, green, pie, blue, fur, people, incense, book, brown, avuncular, mountain, fog and 1316 more...
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Revised GRE Wordlist_2013
Vocabulary building for my quest of GRE 2013
ephemeral, esoteric, rhetoric, censure, egregious, pittance, dupe, mulct, paucity, alacrity, maintain, laconic and 997 more...
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kewpid's Words
moleskine, araldite, dessicate, cellar door, grotesque, fallacy, vendetta, raindrop, panacea, ethereal, hircus, treppenwitz and 446 more...
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GRE List
anthem, ablution, apocrypha, augur, cardinal, cathedral, chant, chapel, cloister, conformist, cult, devout and 145 more...
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GPaX. Words.
excogitate, clarity, obscurity, tangential, interesting, regurgitate, mycelium, degradation, unladen, swallow, klein, quote and 120 more...
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Samme's Words
soliloquy, meander, creativity, magic, discovery, happiness, empowerment, abundance, [magnificent], iridescent, artistic, magical and 694 more...
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-graphy
denoting a science or technique, a style, or a kind of writing
geography, hagiography, calligraphy, radiography, stenography, biography, autobiography
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ash
ash
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure and 4874 more...
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MY WORDS
egoist, entomologists, egotist, altruist, introvert, extrovert, ambivert, misanthrope, misogynist, misogamist, ascetic, Altruism and 193 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for calligraphy.

ruzuzu "19. The First Principle
When one goes to Obaku temple in Kyoto he sees carved over the gate the words 'The First Principle.' The letters are unusually large, and those who appreciate calligraphy always admire them as being a masterpiece. They were drawn by Kosen two hundred years ago.
When the master drew them he did so on paper, from which workmen made the larger carving in wood. As Kosen sketched the letters a bold pupil was with him who had made several gallons of ink for the calligraphy and who never failed to criticize his master's work.
'That is not good,' he told Kosen after the first effort.
'How is that one?'
'Poor. Worse than before,' pronounced the pupil.
Kosen patiently wrote one sheet after another until eighty-four First Principles had accumulated, still without the approval of the pupil.
Then, when the young man stepped outside for a few moments, Kosen thought: 'Now is my chance to escape his keen eye,' and he wrote hurriedly, with a mind free from distraction: 'The First Principle.'
'A masterpiece,' pronounced the pupil."
--Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps
Nov 17, 2010
kewpid The art of beautiful handwriting. Nov 21, 2007