English
calligraphy
Calligraphy comes from French calligraphie, and goes back to Ancient Greek καλλιγραφία ‘calligraphy, beautiful writing’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκαλλιγραφία‘calligraphy, beautiful writing’literally ‘pretty writing’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcalligraphie
- Englishearliest quotation 1981calligraphy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκαλλιγραφία‘calligraphy, beautiful writing’literally ‘pretty writing’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcalligraphie
- Englishearliest quotation 1981calligraphy
Earliest quotation: 1981, Wayne E. Begley, 2: The Symbolic Role of Calligraphy on Three Imperial Mosque: “This paper will explore the role of calligraphy on…”
A compound of κάλλος ‘beauty’ + γράφω ‘to draw’
Proto-Indo-European *kal-wo-s
Ancient Greek κᾰλός ‘good, beautiful, noble’
Ancient Greek κάλλος ‘beauty’
Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ- ‘to carve’
Proto-Hellenic *grə́pʰō ‘to scratch, cut or carve into’
Ancient Greek γράφω ‘to draw’
The story
Borrowed from French calligraphie, from Ancient Greek καλλιγραφία (kalligraphía, literally “pretty writing”), from κάλλος (kállos, “beauty”) + γράφω (gráphō, “to draw”).
Every English word from Ancient Greek καλλιγραφία
Today it means
noun The art or practice of writing letters and words in a decorative style; the letters and words so written.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek καλλιγραφία / calligraphy