Make Your Point, Jr. > Words in ABC Order > calligraphy

Study the word CALLIGRAPHY: (Source) In Greek, kallos means "beauty," and graphein means "to write." Put them together, and you get the English word "calligraphy." Calligraphy is a kind of skilled, controlled, beautiful handwriting. Calligraphy is an art! When you make your letters fancy and gorgeous, often using special pens or brushes, you're creating calligraphy. You're a calligrapher! We use calligraphy for special or formal reasons: for art, for invitations, for thank-you notes, and so on. (Source) You can create calligraphy in any language. Check out some examples of calligraphy in Japanese... (Source) and in Spanish... (Source) and in Arabic... (Source) That last message translates to "There is no protection, no power but Allah." To the calligrapher, that message is special and meaningful. So it's pretty funny if, instead, the calligrapher uses random, everyday words. This kid is saying, "I calligraphied the Chinese symbol for 'refrigerator.'" (Source) Which might make you ask, "Is 'calligraphied' really a verb? Can you really 'calligraphy' things?" Well, I say, why not? Everyone knows what you mean! But if you want the real verb—the one that's officially recognized by dictionaries—it's "calligraph," as in "She calligraphed this poem" or "He calligraphed his son's name into a tattoo." (Source) The adjective forms of "calligraphy" are "calligraphic" and "calligraphical." You can use either one. You might talk about someone's calligraphic handwriting, or about someone's calligraphic skills. Lastly—and this is super-important—even if you have no interest in calligraphy, I still want you to know this word! It helps you make connections in your vocabulary and even recognize the meaning of new words. Now that you know that kallos is Greek for "beauty," and graphein is Greek for "write," you can figure out what other words mean. You could figure out that "calisthenics" are exercises to develop beauty and power. And that a "graphomaniac" is a person obsessed with writing. You could even use kallos and graphein to invent your own words.   Make a flash card: You can write your own definition and choose your own picture, or copy mine. Term Definition Picture calligraphy the art of writing beautiful letters, words, and messages   Write your own sentence! You can use either of the two ideas I'll suggest, or you can invent your own. Include as much detail as you can! (Source)   Write a sentence with the word CALLIGRAPHY: Remember: calligraphy is the art of writing beautifully by hand. Idea 1: "On the (sign, invitation, certificate, or tattoo), in calligraphy, it says '(something).'" Idea 2: "I (would or wouldn't) enjoy learning calligraphy, because (of some reason)." You can type in here. When you're done, copy and paste your sentence wherever you'd like it to go.