Caligrapher

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An expert who creates elegant and artistic handwriting or lettering
2. Someone highly trained in the art of producing decorative writing by hand
3. A practitioner specialized in rendering visually appealing script using pen or brush

Etymology: "Caligrapher" is an alternative spelling of "calligrapher," which is built from two Greek elements. The first is "kalos," meaning beautiful, and the second is "graphein," meaning to write. Put together, calligraphy means beautiful writing, and it was a fitting name for a skill that turned letters into decoration. The word "calligrapher" is simply calligraphy with the English agent suffix "-er" added, so it names the person who practises the art. That suffix has a long pedigree: it traces back through Old English "-ere" and Old French "-ier" to the Latin "-arius," which described people connected with a particular job or trade. The spelling "caligrapher," with a single l, is a variant that drops one of the doubled consonants. Both forms are used, though "calligrapher" is the standard spelling.

Synonyms: scribe, penman, letterer, calligrapher, writer