Chirographary

/ˌkaɪroʊˈɡræfəri/ noun

Definition

The art, practice, or study of handwriting and chirographic documents; the examination and interpretation of written manuscripts.

Etymology

From Greek 'cheir' (hand) + 'graph' (write) + -ary (relating to), following scholarly terminology patterns from Latin-derived words.

Kelly Says

Chirographary is the ancestor of modern graphology and forensic handwriting analysis—Renaissance scholars developed it to authenticate documents and detect forgery centuries before DNA testing.

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