calligraphy

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English

Calligraphy on a folio from a copy of the Qur'an, Persia, 11th c
An example of calligraphy:
a signature

Etymology

Borrowed from French calligraphie, from Ancient Greek καλλιγραφία (kalligraphía, literally “pretty writing”), from κάλλος (kállos, “beauty”) + γράφω (gráphō, “to draw”).

Pronunciation

  • enPR: kə-lĭg'rə-fi, IPA(key): /kəˈlɪɡɹəfi/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)

Noun

calligraphy (countable and uncountable, plural calligraphies)

  1. (uncountable) The art or practice of writing letters and words in a decorative style; the letters and words so written.
    • 1981, Wayne E. Begley, “2: The Symbolic Role of Calligraphy on Three Imperial Mosques of Shāh Jahān”, in Joanna Gottfried Williams, editor, Kalādarśana: American Studies in the Art of India, page 7:
      This paper will explore the role of calligraphy on three royal mosques built during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658): […] .
    • 1987, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islamic Art and Spirituality‎, page 27:
      There is, however, a temporal separation between the earthly crystallization of Quranic calligraphy and the advent of the Quranic revelation.
    • 2004, Leslie Cabarga, Logo, Font & Lettering Bible‎, page 78:
      Calligraphy, however, can seem like a live concert recording with a shallow, raw sound and awkward "accidentals." But calligraphy has grown on me, and a distinction must be made between the calligraphy of high school diplomas and that of experts whose work is often breathtakingly beautiful.
  2. (countable) Any such style of decorative writing.
    • 2008 March 15, Roberta Smith, “Fair Goes From Feast to Tasting Menu”, in New York Times‎:
      Around the corner, at Goedhuis, among more contemporary calligraphies, the fat and fuzzy brushwork of Zeng Yizeng (born 1973) stands out.
  3. (countable) A document written in decorative style.
    • 2004, Diana J, Mukpo, Carolyn Rose Gimian (editors), Chogyam Trungpa, The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa, Volume 7, page 169,
      Only a small number of Trungpa Rinpoche's calligraphies have been reproduced heretofore, some in very limited editions.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

  • → Japanese: カリグラフィー (karigurafī)

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