autograph

¹au·to·graph

noun \ˈȯ-tə-ˌgraf\

Definition of AUTOGRAPH

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

a : an original manuscript or work of art

b : a person's handwritten signature

— au·tog·ra·phy \ȯ-ˈtä-grə-fē\ noun

Examples of AUTOGRAPH

1. We asked her for her autograph.
2. There were several autograph seekers outside the theater.

Origin of AUTOGRAPH

Late Latin autographum, from Latin, neuter of autographus written with one's own hand, from Greek autographos, from aut- + -graphos written — more at -graph

First Known Use: circa 1644

Related to AUTOGRAPH

Synonyms

signature, hand, John Hancock

Related Words

frank, mark; countersign; endorsement (also indorsement)

Other Alphabet Terms

cuneiform, linear, minuscule, pictograph, rune, symbology, wedge

Rhymes with AUTOGRAPH

allograph, barograph, bathyscaphe, cenotaph, chronograph, circle graph, cryptograph, epigraph, epitaph, half-and-half, hectograph, holograph, homograph, hygrograph, kymograph, lithograph, logograph, micrograph, monograph, pantograph, paragraph, phonograph, photograph, pictograph, polygraph, quarterstaff, seismograph, serigraph, shadowgraph, shandygaff, spectrograph, sphygmograph, telegraph, thermograph, typograph

²autograph

transitive verb

Definition of AUTOGRAPH

1

: to write with one's own hand

2

: to write one's signature in or on <autograph a book>

Examples of AUTOGRAPH

1. <asked the baseball player to autograph the bill of his cap>

First Known Use of AUTOGRAPH

1818

Related to AUTOGRAPH

Synonyms

sign, ink, subscribe

Related Words

sign up; cosign, countersign, endorse (also indorse), register, sign on; inscribe; author, pen, pencil (in), scratch (out), scrawl, scribble; notarize

³autograph

adjective

Definition of AUTOGRAPH

: being in the writer's own handwriting : not copied or duplicated <an autograph letter>

First Known Use of AUTOGRAPH

1832

autograph

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any manuscript handwritten by its author; in common usage, a handwritten signature. Aside from its value as a collector's item, an early or corrected draft of a work may show its stages of composition or “correct” final version. The earliest autograph signature of a famous person is probably the Cid's, dated 1096. There exist autographs of most of the great Renaissance figures, including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Ludovico Ariosto. Since the 18th century, autograph material of notable people in the arts, sciences, or public life has been more abundant.