Agraphic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Pertaining to the absence of written or visual representation in a given context
2. Relating to concepts or ideas that do not utilize graphic imagery or text in their expression
3. Describing something that lacks any form of text or images to convey information

Etymology: Agraphic is a plain technical formation: it is simply agraphia with the adjectival suffix "-ic" attached. Agraphia, in turn, is the medical term for the loss of the ability to write, usually caused by brain damage, and the adjective describes a person, or a condition, affected in that way. The parts are easy to read. The prefix "a-" means "without" (from Greek), and "-graphia" comes from the Greek "graphein", "to write", so the two halves together literally mean "without writing." The "-ic" ending turns the noun into an adjective, as in "phonic" or "graphic" itself. Because the word was built from Greek parts for a clinical concept, it belongs to the modern scientific vocabulary rather than to ancient usage: the ancient Greeks had the building blocks but not this term.