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

The actor and former wrestling pro, 52, ran into a young fan during a trip to Target, and instead of snapping a pic or signing an autograph, the pair — ever-so-punnily — played a game of rock, paper, scissors together. —Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 5 May 2024

Arranging Autographs: As fans and collectors clamor for autographs, Major League Baseball players have built a network — and an etiquette — for signing things for each other. —Rory Smith, New York Times, 3 May 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