calligraphy

noun

cal·​lig·​ra·​phy kə-ˈli-grə-fē 

1

a

: artistic, stylized, or elegant handwriting or lettering

b

: the art of producing such writing

2

: penmanship

3

: an ornamental line in drawing or painting

calligraphic

ˌka-lə-ˈgra-fik 

adjective

calligraphically

ˌka-lə-ˈgra-fi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Kalli- is a Greek root meaning "beautiful", and "beautiful" in the case of calligraphy means artistic, stylized, and elegant. Calligraphy has existed in many cultures, including Indian, Persian, and Islamic cultures; Arabic puts a particularly high value on beautiful script, and in East Asia calligraphy has long been considered a major art. Calligraphers in the West use pens with wide nibs, with which they produce strokes of widely differing width within a single letter.

Synonyms

• handwriting
• longhand
• manuscript
• penmanship
• script

Examples of calligraphy in a Sentence

she specializes in scrollwork with beautiful calligraphy

Recent Examples on the Web

The museum’s permanent and open collection features historical and everyday objects that hold symbolic meaning in Sufism and are significant in terms of provenance and craftsmanship, including sculpture, musical instruments, textiles, calligraphy, manuscripts, and ceramic and mirror mosaics. —Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025

Islam has restrictions on the depiction of people or animals, so artists often express themselves through calligraphy, florals or line patterns—stars are safe to use. —Caitlyn Murphy, Hazlitt, 18 Dec. 2024

Of the 678 global traditions, practices, and human expressions on the list — which include things like Argentine tango, Chinese calligraphy, and Indian yoga — the Sosso-Bala is the only that’s entire history has been maintained within a single family. —Eliot Stein, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 2024

Today, Jesse is the owner and designer of Freja Creative — formerly known as Freed Hands — offering custom stationery, wedding and event signage and calligraphy. —Skyler Trepel, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French or Greek; French calligraphie, from Greek kalligraphia, from kalli- beautiful (from kallos beauty) + -graphia -graphy

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

calligraphy

noun

cal·​lig·​ra·​phy kə-ˈlig-rə-fē 

1

a

: beautiful handwriting

b

: the art of producing such handwriting

2

: penmanship sense 2

calligrapher

-rə-fər

noun