autograph

1 of 3

noun

au·​to·​graph ˈȯ-tə-ˌgraf 

: something written or made with one's own hand:

a

: an original manuscript or work of art

b

: a person's handwritten signature

autography

ȯ-ˈtä-grə-fē 

noun

autograph

2 of 3

adjective

: being in the writer's own handwriting : not copied or duplicated

an autograph letter

autograph

3 of 3

verb

autographed; autographing; autographs

transitive verb

1

: to write with one's own hand

2

: to write one's signature in or on

autograph a book

Synonyms

Noun

• hand
• John Hancock
• signature

Verb

• ink
• sign
• subscribe

Examples of autograph in a Sentence

Noun

We asked her for her autograph.

There were several autograph seekers outside the theater.

Verb

asked the baseball player to autograph the bill of his cap

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Cal accepted children’s book donations to its summer reading program and players signed autographs afterward. Recruits, including those in the transfer portal, watched from the sidelines. —Jeff Faraudo, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024

Boise State players will be available to sign autographs on The Blue at the conclusion of the game. —Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 19 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from New Latin autographum "manuscript in a person's own handwriting, the author's own manuscript," noun derivative from neuter of Latin autographus "written in one's own hand," borrowed from Greek autógraphos, from auto- auto- + -graphos -graph

Note: Early Modern English has besides autograph the forms with Latin and Greek endings autographum and autographon. Compare French (sixteenth century) aftographe, autographe "manuscript in the hand of the author," another possible direct source for the English word.

Adjective

borrowed from Latin & Greek; Latin autographus "written in one's own hand," borrowed from Greek autógraphos — more at autograph entry 1

Verb

derivative of autograph entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1605, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1676, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing autograph

• autograph book

Kids Definition

autograph

1 of 2 noun

au·​to·​graph ˈȯt-ə-ˌgraf 

: a person's signature written by hand

autograph

2 of 2 verb

: to write one's signature in or on