chirography

Etymology

Chirography is formed from chirograph and -y, under the influence of words like geography. It traces back through French chirographe, from Latin chirographus and chirographum, from Ancient Greek χειρόγραφος (kheirógraphos) and χειρόγραφον (kheirógraphon), themselves from χειρο- (kheiro-, “hand-”) plus γραφος (graphos, “writing, written thing”). It is equivalent to chiro- (“hand”) plus -graphy (“writing”) and handwriting.